VMware ESX Server - Documentation · management, VMware ESX Server provides its own drivers for supported devices. Be sure that the devices you plan to use in your server are supported

VMware ESX Server Support Documentation

™ ™

VMWARE SUPPORT ARCHIVE

Support Documentation

This PDF file contains the support documentation for VMware™ESX Server™ available on the VMware Web site at the time thefile was created. The most up-to-date support information isavailable on the Web site at hhttttpp::////wwwwww..vvmmwwaarree..ccoomm.

Copyright © 2001 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.

The contents of this document are subject to protection underU.S. and foreign copyright laws. You may not copy or distributeany portion of this document without our prior written permis-sion, except as necessary to view this document.

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What's New | Requirements | Installation | Documentation |Troubleshooting

Welcome to ESX Server Support

Latest Released Version: 1.0 | Build 1062

What's New?■

System RequirementsI/O Adapter Compatibility Guide (PDF file)

■

Installation and Configuration■

Notes on Specific Guest Operating Systems■

Running ESX Server■

Technical Notes■

Troubleshooting■

Communicating with VMware■

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VMware ESX Server


What's New?

Build 1062 - 3/23/2001 Version 1.0

High performance VMkernel-based architecture●

High performance I/O device support●

Dynamic resource governing to enable quality of servicemanagement

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Disk roll-back recovery through undoable and nonpersistentdisks

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Built-in Web-based management and remote KVM console●

Compatibility with virtual machines from all other VMwareproducts

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Perl scripting environment for controlling virtual machines●

For information on known issues in this release, see the releasenotes.


























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System Requirements

Server Hardware Requirements

MinimumProcessor: Intel Pentium II 500MHz and above, AMD AthlonModel 2 and above, or AMD Duron

●

256MB RAM minimum, 512MB or more recommended●

An Ethernet card -- Intel EEPro, 3Com or Tulip-based. (AnIntel EEPro card is recommended for best performance.)

●

A SCSI adapter, Fibre Channel adapter or internal RAIDcontroller. The basic SCSI adapters supported are Adaptec,BusLogic and most NCR/Symbios SCSI adapters. The SCSIRAID adapters supported are Compaq SmartArray, DellPercRaid (Adaptec RAID and AMI MegaRAID), IBMServeRAID and Mylex SCSI RAID devices. The FibreChannel adapters that are supported are Emulex and Qlogicadapters.

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A SCSI disk or RAID LUN with unpartitioned space. In aminimum configuration, this disk or RAID will be sharedbetween the console operating system and the virtualmachines.

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Recommended for Enhanced PerformanceA second Ethernet adapter●

A second disk controller with one or more drives.●

The lists above outline a basic configuration. In practice, you mayuse more than two physical disks, which may be SCSI disks, FibreChannel disks or RAID LUNs. For best performance, all of the dataused by the virtual machines should be on the physical diskscontrolled by VMware ESX Server. Therefore, these physical disksshould be large enough to hold disk images that will be used by allthe virtual machines.

Similarly, you should provide enough RAM for all of the virtualmachines plus the console operating system. For details on how tocalculate the amount of RAM you will need, see How VMware



















ESX Server Uses Memory.

Note: To ensure the best possible I/O performance and workloadmanagement, VMware ESX Server provides its own drivers forsupported devices. Be sure that the devices you plan to use in yourserver are supported. For additional detail on I/O devicecompatibility, download the VMware ESX Server I/O AdapterCompatibility Guide in PDF format.

ESX Server virtual machines can share an Ethernet card with theconsole operating system (as described in installation instructions).For best performance, however, you should configure the virtualmachines to use an Ethernet card separate from the one used by theconsole operating system.

ESX Server virtual machines can share a SCSI disk with theconsole operating system, but for enhanced disk performance, youcan configure the virtual machines to use a SCSI adapter and diskseparate from those used by the console operating system. Youshould make sure enough free disk space is available to install theguest operating system and applications for each virtual machine onthe disk that they will use.

Supported guest operating systems

Windows 2000 (any server version)●

Windows NT 4.0 - Service Pack 4 or higher●

Red Hat Linux 6.2 or 7.0●

Note: The standard Linux kernels in Red Hat Linux 6.2 have a bugreported athttp://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHBA-2000013-01.html thatcan cause data corruption under heavy memory load. Therefore, thestandard Red Hat 6.2 installation should not be used as a guestoperating system to run server applications unless it is patched. Oneway to correct the problem is to recompile the guest Linux kernelwith the configuration option CONFIG_X86_FX=n.

Remote Management Workstation Requirements

The remote workstation is a Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 orLinux system from which you launch a remote console and accessthe Web-based management interface using a browser.

Hardware RequirementsStandard x86-based computer●

266MHz or faster processor●

64MB RAM minimum●

10MB free disk space required for basic installation●

Software - Windows Remote Workstation

In Windows, the remote console runs as a standalone application.The Web-based management interface uses a Web browser.

Windows NT 4.0 Workstation or Server, Service Pack 6a●

Windows 2000 Professional, Server or Advanced Server●



http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHBA-2000013-01.html

The Web-based management interface requires one of thesebrowsers:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher❍

Netscape Navigator 4.5 or higher❍

●

Software - Linux Remote Workstation

Compatible with standard Linux distributions with glibc version 2or higher and one of the following:

For single-processor systems: kernel 2.0.32 or higher in the2.0.x series, or kernel in the 2.2.x series

●

For SMP systems: kernel in the 2.2.x seriesNote: If you are using Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 —- in astandard Red Hat Linux 6.2 installation, for example —- youmay want to use the patch described in the section SupportedGuest Operating Systems.

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The Web-based management interface requires NetscapeNavigator 4.5 or higher

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Documentation

Support Downloads

Download the ESX Server user's manual (1.7MB)●

Download the contents of the current ESX Server support

site (2.7MB)

Last updated: Friday, 19-Oct-2001 16:50:44 GMT

●

About the Current Release

Release Notes●

Installation and Configuration

Installing VMware ESX Server Software on the Server●

Using the Setup Wizard to Configure Your Server●

Creating a New Virtual Machine●

Launching a Virtual Machine and Installing a GuestOperating System and VMware Tools

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Installing VMware ESX Server Remote ManagementSoftwarePreparing to Use the Remote Management SoftwareInstalling the Remote Console

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Running VMware ESX Server

Using the Web-Based Management Interface●

Using the Remote Console●



















http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx/esx_10_manual.pdf

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx/vmware_esx1_support_en.pdf

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx/vmware_esx1_support_en.pdf

Technical Notes

Console Operating System and VMkernel

Characteristics of the VMware Console Operating System●

Loading and Unloading VMkernel●

Configuring Your Server to Use VMkernel Device Modules●

Confuguring and Running Virtual Machines

Notes on Particular Guest Operating Systems●

Configuring Virtual Machines on VMware ESX Server●

Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines●

Authentication and Security Features in VMware ESXServer

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The VMware Guest Operating System Service●

Disks

VMware ESX Server File System Management on SCSIDisks and RAID

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VMware ESX Server Utility to Mount VMFS File Systems●

Determining SCSI Target IDs●

Preliminary Notes on the VMware ESX Server Perl API●

Memory

How VMware ESX Server Uses Memory●

Memory Resource Management●

Dynamic Memory Management in VMware ESX Server●

Networking

Setting the MAC Address Manually for a VMware ESXServer Virtual Machine

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The VMkernel Network Card Locator●

Network Resource Management●

Sharing Network Adapters and Virtual Networks●

Resource Management

CPU Resource Management●

Memory Resource Management●

Dynamic Memory Management in VMware ESX Server●

Network Resource Management●








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Troubleshooting

Installation - ESX Server Software

When I try to upgrade to the latest version of ESX Server, Iget the error execution of script failed when Irun:rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpm

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Web-BasedInstallation of VMware ESX Server

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Installation - Guest Operating System

The virtual machine hangs or I get a monitor failure when Iam starting a guest operating system installation.

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While I am trying to install a Windows 2000 guest operatingsystem, the installation hangs and I see a dialog that tells methe guest operating system has shut down.

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Operation - General

I can't install the VERITAS Backup Exec Agent for Linuxon the ESX Server console operating system.

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Disks

After I allocate all my devices to the virtual machines, myconsole operating system complains about a panic and failsto boot.

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Why do I get a message saying that I must get rid of sharedSCSI/RAID mode and reboot?

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When I am copying a large file between two SCSI disks, theconsole operating system hangs.

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I get an error message when I try to commit changes to anundoable disk.

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I cannot create CDs in my CD-R drive.●

Memory

When I try to start a new virtual machine, ESX Server says Idon't have enough memory

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Networking

After I allocate some of my Ethernet adapters to the virtualmachines, my console Ethernet adapter fails to come up.

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I need to use more than 64 virtual network adapters on asingle physical server

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The network adapters on two of my virtual machines havethe same MAC address, causing a conflict

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I need to ensure that a virtual network adapter will alwayshave the same MAC address

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I have a Linux virtual machine set up to use console privatenetworking. When I ping the console operating system fromthe virtual machine, the packet loss rate is very high. Howcan I fix the problem?

●








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Release Notes - Version 1.0

The following features are not in release 1.0. However, they will bein future releases:

Support for PAE memory●

Resource governing of disk bandwidth●

SNMP monitoring agent●

Built-in heartbeat monitoring restart●

In addition, the current release has the following known issues:

Network statistics (bytes received, for example) may beinaccurate in the Windows 2000 virtual machine. Forbenchmarking purposes, measure network traffic from aseparate machine.

●

The system will function properly in all situations involvingdevices with shared IRQs, whether owned by the VMkernel orthe console operating system or shared between the two.However, there may be performance implications if a deviceowned by the console operating system and a device owned bythe VMkernel have the same IRQ. The reason is that interruptswill have to be delivered to both the console operating systemand the VMkernel each time there is an interrupt for any devicewith that IRQ.

●

The standard Linux kernels in Red Hat Linux 6.2 (but notVMnix) have a bug reported athttp://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHBA-2000013-01.htmlthat can cause data corruption under heavy memory load.Therefore, the standard Red Hat 6.2 installation should not beused as a guest operating system to run server applicationsunless it is patched. One way to correct the problem is torecompile the guest Linux kernel with the configuration optionCONFIG_X86_FX=n.

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Some machines do not report the correct amount of physicalmemory to the console operating system. You have such amachine if you need to specify the actual amount of memoryyour machine has to a standard Linux kernel in/etc/lilo.conf. On such machines, you will need to

●



















http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHBA-2000013-01.html

specify the amount of memory in the machine and also theamount reserved for the console operating system. Forexample, if the machine has 256MB of memory and you wantthe console operating system to use 80MB, use the followingoption in /etc/lilo.conf

append="mem=80m,256m ..."

In the vmnix section of lilo.conf, the mem portion of theline will be followed by a cpci= portion. You should notchange the cpci= portion.

If you have network cards used by the VMkernel that are onsubnets different from the one that the console operatingsystem is on, then the automatically generated MAC addressesfor virtual machines may not be unique on their subnets. If thisproblem arises, you cam assign distinct MAC address to thevirtual machines directly as described in Setting the MACAddress Manually for a VMware ESX Server Virtual Machine

●

The console operating system is preconfigured with 80MB ofmemory by default. You may need to increase this if you arerunning more than four virtual machines at a time or if you puta heavy system load on the console operating system -- forexample, by copying large files on the console.

To do this, edit /etc/lilo.conf and modify themem=80M tag in the lilo entry for vmnix. You must run/sbin/lilo after modifying /etc/lilo.conf. You canalso use the pcidivy page in the Web-based managementinterface to modify the amount of memory.

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If communication is lost between a Windows remote consoleand the server machine, the remote console may fail todisconnect and exit. The remote console application may alsoneed to be forcibly shut down using the Windows TaskManager.

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When you are controlling a virtual machine from theWeb-based management interface, error messages maysometimes appear with the message "Server Error: Invalidoperation for virtual machine's current state." To find out thereason for the error, select the virtual machine from theoverview page and view the event log for that virtual machine.

●

If you are using the shrink function of VMware Tools toprepare a Linux guest operating system's virtual disk beforeexporting it -- so the exported file will be smaller -- the shrinkoperation may fail if the Linux guest's file system has morethan 2GB of free space. This problem should be resolved in afuture release of ESX Server.

●

The host computer can hang if you perform the followingactions in the sequence listed. This problem should be resolvedin a future release of ESX Server. In the meantime, you shouldavoid this sequence.

A VMFS file system mounted under the consoleoperating system (that is, using the "mount" interface)has to see a file exist (usually from an ls command).

1.

●

Then, the file has to be deleted by an operationgenerated outside the mount interface (either usingvmkfstools -r command, or discarding a REDOlog). The Web-based management interface, forexample, uses vmkfstools and is therefore outsidethe mount interface.

2.

Another file has to be created from inside the consoleoperating system's mount interface that ends upmatching the same inode number as the one used by thedeleted file (most likely done by transferring a file to thefile system via FTP or cp).

3.

Finally, an Open or Remove operation is done fromoutside the mount interface (this could occur whenstarting a virtual machine).

4.

If you are installing on a Pentium 4 computer, the machinetype reported in the console operating system will be i?86rather than i686 (for Pentium 2 and Pentium 3). This problemmay affect scripts or programs that test for the machine type.In particular, if you use RPM to install packages on the consoleoperating system, you will have to use the --ignorearchoption if RPM refuses to install a package because of anarchitecture mismatch.

●








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Installing the Software on the Server

Welcome to VMware ESX Server.

This installation guide will step you through the process ofinstalling and configuring the VMware ESX Server software onyour server.

Separate guides explain how to create and provision virtualmachines, how to manage your virtual machines from a remoteworkstation, and how to work with the advanced features ofVMware ESX Server.

Before You Begin

Note: If you are upgrading from VMware ESX Server beta 3 toVMware ESX Server 1.0, follow these instructions.

To install VMware ESX Server, you will need

The VMware ESX Server software CD, which includes theVMware Console Operating System, VMware ESX Serversoftware, and remote console software.

●

A computer that meets the system requirements for ESXServer.

●

Installing VMware ESX Server

The VMware ESX Server installation includes the VMwareConsole Operating System, the vmnixmod module, the VMkernel,and VMkernel modules. The console operating system is based ona modified Red Hat Linux 6.2 installation and is called VMnix. Itis used to configure, start and administer VMware virtualmachines. The vmnixmod module is loaded into the VMnixkernel to facilitate loading and communicating with the VMkernel.The VMkernel manages system hardware and the virtual machinesrunning on the server. Users communicate with the VMkernel viathe console operating system.

The VMkernel manages all the operating systems on the machine,including both the console operating system and the operatingsystems running on each virtual machine. The VMkernel modules



















provide support for high-performance device I/O and allowrun-time addition of functionality to the VMkernel (for example,network traffic filters).

Before you begin, be sure you have the network information youwill need during installation. You will need to know

The IP address for the server where you are installing ESXServer

●

The host name for the server●

The netmask for the server's subnet●

The IP address of the gateway●

The IP address of the name server●

Installing the VMware ESX Server SoftwareMake sure the network cable is plugged into the mainnetwork adapter, so the installer will properly detect that themachine has a network card.

1.

Insert the VMware ESX Server CD in the CD-ROM driveand power on the machine.

2.

If necessary, enter the BIOS Setup screen and set theCD-ROM as the first boot device. The machine shoulddisplay a screen saying, "Welcome to the VMware ESXServer Install."

3.

If the installation screen does not come up properly, yourCD-ROM drive may be having trouble booting from theCD. In this case, you may want to try booting from aVMware ESX Server boot floppy. Follow these instructionsto create a boot floppy. Then insert the floppy disk in thefloppy drive, reboot, and, if necessary, make the floppydrive the first boot device. You should leave the CD in theCD-ROM drive.

4.

The first part of the setup process installs the Linux-basedVMware Console Operating System. When you reach thedisk setup portion of the installation, be sure to follow thesesteps.

In Disk Setup, choose Disk Druid.❍

In Current Disk Partitions, delete any existingpartitions.

❍

Next, choose the disk where you will install theconsole operating system. It should be your first IDEdisk (hda), if you have one; otherwise, use your firstSCSI disk (sda).

❍

You typically create three partitions for a Linuxinstallation, using the Add option. The first partitionshould have a mount point of /boot, a size of20MB, and a type of Linux native. The secondpartition should have no mount point, a size of about128MB, and a type of Linux swap. The third partitionshould have a mount point of /, a size of about1800MB, and a type of Linux native. The thirdpartition will be your root file system, and most of the

❍

5.

Linux and console operating system files will beinstalled there.

Respond OK when you have created these threepartitions, and respond Yes to the Save Changesprompt.Note: Do not create partitions on any other disksbesides the main boot disk.

❍

Respond OK in Choose Partitions to Format.❍

Enter the host name in Hostname Configuration. Include thefull domain name if you are running with domains.

6.

In Network Configuration, disable bootp/dhcp and enter therequired network parameters. Setup will not ask for networkparameters if you do not have a network card. Initially, onlythe first Ethernet card will be enabled. All other networkadapters will be disabled.

See Using DHCP for the Console Operating System forinstructions and cautions on setting up a DHCP-basedconsole operating system.

7.

At the Time Zone Selection screen, choose your time zone.8.

At the Root Password screen, specify your desired rootpassword. In Add User and User Account Setup, you canadd additional user accounts.

You will need accounts for all users who need to log in tothe Web-based management interface to create or runvirtual machines. If you wish, you may add those users atthis time. However, you may find it more convenient to addthem later with the console operating system's useraddcommand or by copying the /etc/passwd file fromanother machine.

9.

The installer will then format the disk and start installing thepackages.

10.

At the final Complete screen, respond OK. The system willreboot and you can begin configuring your server

11.

Setting up Virtual Machines

Continue to the instructions on using the setup wizard to configureyour server.








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What's New | Requirements | Installation | Documentation | Troubleshooting

Using the Setup Wizard to Configure Your Server

A Web-based setup program will guide you through the steps to configure yourserver. You may return to the wizard at any time to edit your configuration. Youmay run the Setup Wizard from any computer with network access to yourserver. Running X on your server's console operating system is notrecommended. The steps that follow assume you are using a separate computeras your workstation.

For more information about the Web-based setup program, see Frequently AskedQuestions About the Web-Based Installation of the VMware ESX Server.

Note: If you need secure communications between your managementworkstations and the server, you will need to install appropriate software toprovide that security. For additional details, see the Network Security section inthe technical note Authentication and Security Features in VMware ESX Server.

Launch a supported Web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or lateror Netscape Navigator 4.5 or later) and enter the URL for the VMwareSetup Wizardhttp://<hostname>:8222/vmware/config/

1.

Log in as root.2.



















Start the wizard by clicking the click here link at the top of the page.3.

Confirm that the defaults in the Basic Information section are appropriatefor your server. The default amount of memory reserved for the consoleoperating system -- 80MB -- is sufficient for managing up to three or fourvirtual machines.

4.

Allocate storage and network adapters to be used by the console operatingsystem and virtual machines on the server. Be sure that both the consoleoperating system and the virtual machines have access to some device ineach category.

Storage: A SCSI or RAID adapter should be shared if you want to usethat adapter or array for both the console operating system and virtualmachines.

When you are allocating SCSI or RAID devices, the unit of deviceallocation is a PCI card device. You may connect multiple SCSI or RAIDdisks, CD-ROM drives, tape drives and other devices to the SCSI or RAIDadapter.

You should give as many SCSI or RAID devices to the virtual machinesas possible to ensure that the majority of your mass storage resources areused by your virtual machines. If you do not have any IDE disks, you mayhave to allocate at least one SCSI or RAID device to the console operatingsystem, since the console operating system needs to have a disk fromwhich it and the VMkernel can boot.

SCSI and RAID devices can be shared between the console operatingsystem and virtual machines.

Some adapter cards have multiple functions, which means there aremultiple adapters on each card. When you allocate a SCSI or RAID deviceto the console operating system or to the VMkernel, you are effectivelyallocating all the SCSI or RAID disks, CD-ROM drives and other attacheddevices along with the adapter. As a result, you have only coarse-grainedcontrol over how you allocate SCSI and RAID devices.

Consider this example. Suppose your machine has SCSI adapters scsi0and scsi1 that are on the same SCSI adapter card. If you choose to shareone of the adapters, you must share both. Similarly, if you choose toallocate one of the adapters for use by virtual machines, you must allocateboth for use by virtual machines.

Network: It is generally best to assign the first Ethernet adapter on the listto the console operating system and set the other adapters to be used byvirtual machines. If you assign the first adapter to be used by virtualmachines, the console operating system may try to use an inappropriatedriver for its network adapter, as described in this troubleshooting note.Ethernet adapters cannot be shared between the console operating systemand virtual machines.

As with SCSI and RAID controllers, the unit of device allocation is a PCIcard. Some network adapter cards are multifunction PCI cards, whichmeans there are multiple adapters on each card. Only one network adapteris displayed in the list of devices. When you allocate that device to theconsole operating system or to the VMkernel, you are effectivelyallocating all the adapters on that card.

It is generally good to give as many network adapters to the virtualmachines as possible. Doing so will help ensure that the majority of yournetwork resources will be devoted to the virtual machines. As the consoleoperating system is intended primarily as a management interface, youshould minimize resources allocated to the console operating system. Youwill need to allocate at least one Ethernet device to the console operatingsystem in order to manage your ESX Server machine remotely.

5.

In the event that you want one or more virtual machines to use an Ethernetadapter owned by the console operating system, you can use bridgednetworking. With bridged networking, a virtual machine can access theEthernet cards owned by the console operating system. However, bridgednetworking requires that the console operating system handle requests senton its Ethernet card, resulting in slower performance. You also may wantto avoid using bridged networking in order to maintain a firewall betweenyour virtual machines and the console operating system.

In the likely event that you have fewer Ethernet devices than virtualmachines, you can share VMkernel Ethernet adapters between the virtualmachines with little performance penalty.

Click Save Configuration.6.

Click Reboot Machine to restart your server using the configuration youjust set up.

7.

After the server has rebooted, click Next to System Setup.8.

Click Accept to accept the VMware license.9.

Enter your serial number, then click Save Serial Number.10.

If necessary, change the server start-up setting. In most cases, the defaultswill be appropriate.

11.

Click Save Options.

Basic configuratiton of your server is complete.

Click Next to Edit Partitions.

12.

Using an Entire SCSI Disk or RAID Array for Virtual Machines

If you have a SCSI disk or RAID array in addition to the disk or array that holdsthe console operating system, you will see the following screen. If you have onlyone SCSI disk or RAID array, skip to the next section For background on howSCSI devices are identified, see Determining SCSI Target IDs.

Set up partitions for your virtual machines.

In this example, you want to make all of disk vmhba0:6:0 available tostore virtual machine files.

Click Create New Partition to create a small core dump partition and aVMFS (VMware ESX Server file system) partition that uses the rest of thespace available on the disk or array.

The VMFS partition provides high-performance access to the virtualmachine's files -- essentially the same performance you would get if thevirtual machine were installed on a raw SCSI partition.

The core dump partition will store information generated if the VMkernelcrashes. The core dump information is important in debugging anyproblems with the VMkernel.

1.

You see a screen that reports the sizes of the two partitions you have justcreated.

You should assign a logical name to the VMFS partition. Choose a namethat will make it easy to identify this particular partition even if you laterdecide to move the device to a different machine. Enter the logical namein the field under VMFS Name and click Save.

Click Next to VM Wizard to begin creating a virtual machine

2.

Sharing a SCSI Drive or RAID Array with the Console Operating System

In this example, the disk vmhba0:0:0 already contains the partitions used by theconsole operating system. You should not make changes to these partitions. Forbackground on how SCSI devices are identified, see Determining SCSI TargetIDs.

Click Use Expert Mode Fdisk.1.

First add a small core dump partition. The core dump partition will storeinformation generated if the VMkernel crashes. The core dumpinformation is important in debugging any problems with the VMkernel.

Select Add partition, use the default of logical, and choose VMware CoreDump from the list of file types. In this scenario, an extended partition,which will contain this logical partition, should already exist. If it doesn't,you will need to add an extended partition before you add the logicalpartition.

Do not change the number in the from cylinder field.

Change the number in the To Cylinder field to +50M to set aside about50MB for the core dump partition. The partition will be at least 50MB, butis likely to be somewhat larger because partitions must begin and end oncylinder boundaries.

2.

Click Perform Action.

Note: No changes are actually written to disk until you select Savepartition info, then click Perform Action.

3.

Use the rest of the disk or array as a VMFS partition, where you will storevirtual machine disk files.

The VMFS partition provides high-performance access to the virtualmachine's files -- essentially the same performance you would get if the

4.

virtual machine were installed on a raw SCSI partition.

Select Add partition. You may use the default of logical or change thesetting to primary, and choose VMFS from the list of file types. Keep inmind that only four primary partitions can exist on a drive. If you have anextended partition (to contain logical partitions), that counts as one of yourfour primary partitions.

Do not change the number in the from cylinder or to cylinder fields.

Click Perform Action.5.

Select Save partition info.6.

Click Perform Action.

Note: At this point, your changes are committed to the disk or array.

7.

Locate the table row with information about the VMware partition youjust created. Click the Make VMFS button in that row.

8.

You should assign a logical name to the VMFS partition. Choose a namethat will make it easy to identify this particular disk even if you laterdecide to move the device to a different machine. Enter the logical namein the field under VMFS Name and click Save.

9.

Click Next to VM Wizard to begin creating a virtual machine.10.








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Creating a New Virtual Machine

The Virtual Machine Wizard will guide you through the basic steps needed tocreate a virtual machine on your server. Any user who has an account on theserver's console operating system may log in to the wizard and create a virtualmachine. If you are logged in as root, you may wish to log out at this point, thenlog in again as a user who will be managing the new virtual machine.

To return to the wizard later, use this URL:http://<hostname>:8222/vmcfg-esx

Enter your user name and password, then click Login to begin using thewizard.

1.



















Choose the guest operating system for your virtual machine.Corresponding default entries will appear for other configuration settings.

2.

Make any changes you wish to the default settings.

Under Basic Settings, the name you enter in the Display Name field is thename that will be listed in the Web-based management interface. Be sureto enter a name that will allow you to distinguish this virtual machine fromothers you have created or plan to create.

In the Basic Settings section, be sure that the entry in the Virtual MachineFilename field is unique. The default path and file name are based on theguest operating system you have chosen. If other virtual machines havebeen created on this server, you will need to change the path to create anew, unique directory for the new virtual machine.

The default Memory Size setting depends on the guest operating systemyou have selected. You may need to change it to meet the demands ofapplications you plan to run in the virtual machine. You may change thissetting later, using the Configure VM page of the Web-based managementinterface.

For background on allocating memory to virtual machines, see HowVMware ESX Server Uses Memory.

In the SCSI Disk section, be sure that the virtual machine's file name isunique. The file name should end in .dsk.

3.

Click the Browse button in the SCSI Disk section if you want to view filenames already in use. If you use an existing file name, ESX Server willwarn you that a virtual machine with that name already exists.

Select the disk mode for your virtual disk. ESX Server can use disks infour different modes: persistent, nonpersistent, undoable and append.Persistent disks behave exactly like conventional disk drives on acomputer. All writes to a persistent disk are written out permanently to thedisk as soon as the guest operating system writes the data. All changes to anonpersistent mode disk are discarded when a virtual machine session ispowered down. When you use undoable mode, you have the option laterof keeping or discarding changes you have made during a workingsession. Until you decide, the changes are saved in a redo-log file.Append mode also stores changes in a redo log. It continually addschanges to the redo log until you remove the redo-log file or commit thechanges using the commit command in vmkfstools.

The setup process allows you to create one virtual disk for your virtualmachine. You can add more virtual disks later, using the Configure VMpage of the Web-based management interface.

Similarly, after the virtual machine is created, you can use the ConfgureVM page to assign additional network adapters to the virtual machine.

If you need help determining which network adapter is associated with aparticular device name, you can use the console operating system'sfindnic command.

If you want, you can change the color depth of your display using the theRemote Display Depth setting. A higher color depth setting slows downscreen redraws and increases network load when you use a remote consoleto view a virtual machine across a network connection. However, withgreater color depth, you get better color resolution and fidelity. Thedefault setting is 8. Other options are 15, 16 or 24.

If you want to reset the entries to the defaults, click Undo Changes.

When you are satisfied with the settings, click Create VM.

The confirmation page includes information on some basic configurationsettings for your new virtual machine.

To go to the main page of the Web-based management interface, clickReturn to Overview.

4.

To see additional details about a virtual machine, click the virtualmachine's name.

5.

Click Edit VM Configuration if you want to change settings for yourvirtual machine.

6.

When you are finished, click Apply Changes.

Your new virtual machine is like a new computer with a blank hard disk.You must install a guest operating system before you can use the virtualmachine.








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VMware ESX Server


Launching a Virtual Machine and Installing a Guest OperatingSystem and VMware Tools

You will probably configure your virtual machine with a blank(unformatted) SCSI virtual disk. You can install an operatingsystem on this virtual disk just as you would on a new physicalmachine, using a standard installation CD-ROM, and formatting thevirtual disk at the appropriate place in the installation process. Seethe technical notes for details on installing specific guest operatingsystems. Or you may start with a virtual disk created with VMwareWorkstation 2.x or VMware GSX Server, then configure the guestoperating system to work with VMware ESX Server.

Once your guest operating system is installed, be sure to follow thedirections below for installing VMware Tools and the networkdriver.

Installing a Guest Operating System in a Virtual Machine

To install a guest operating system and other software, you shouldwork on a separate workstation and use the VMware remoteconsole. It is best not to run X on the server's console operatingsystem.

For details on installing the remote console, see Installing andUsing the Remote Console. Follow the directions on that page forstarting a remote console on your Windows or Linux workstationand connecting to a virtual machine.

Insert the installation CD-ROM for your guest operating system inthe server's CD-ROM drive. Click the Power On button to beginsetting up your guest operating system.

Note: When you are installing a guest operating system on a newvirtual disk, you may see a message warning you that the disk iscorrupted and asking if you want to place a partition table on thedisk. This does not mean there is any problem with your physicalhard disk. It simply means some data needs to be written to the filethat holds your virtual hard disk. All you need to do is respond yes.You will also need to partition and format the virtual disk as youwould with a new, blank hard drive.



















Migrating VMware Workstation and VMware GSX Server Disks

You can modify virtual machines created with VMwareWorkstation 2.0 and later or VMware GSX Server to run onVMware ESX Server.

The virtual machine you want to migrate must be set up on a SCSIdisk -- either a virtual disk or a raw disk. You will migrate it to runfrom a virtual SCSI disk under ESX Server.

Be sure you have enough space on the VMFS disk where you storevirtual machines to hold the full size of the source virtual disk. InESX Server the disk's full size is allocated at the time the virtualdisk file is created. In VMware Workstation and GSX Server, thevirtual disk file starts smaller and grows to the maximum size asdata is added. Thus, a virtual disk defined as a 2GB disk may becontained in a 500MB file. When you migrate the virtual disk toESX Server, it will occupy 2GB of disk space.

Note: When you install VMware Tools in the VMware ESX Servervirtual machine, you set up a new network driver. This driver is notsuitable for a virtual machine running under VMware Workstation2.x or VMWare GSX Server. If you think you may want to use thisvirtual machine under VMware Workstation or VMware GSXServer at a later time, you may find it most convenient to make acopy of the virtual machine before you migrate it. Otherwise, if youmove it back to run under the original VMware product, you willneed to reconfigure it to use the original network driver.

Follow these steps to migrate a virtual machine to VMware ESXServer:

Create a new configuration (.cfg) file in the directorywhere you are storing files associated with the new virtualmachine -- for example /vm/vm1. The simplest approach isto set up a new virtual machine as described in Creating aNew Virtual Machine. Note the name and location of thevirtual disk (.dsk) file created for the new virtual machine.

1.

Working from the console operating system, usevmkfstools to remove the .dsk file of the new virtualmachine. You must log in as root to use vmkfstools.

vmkfstools -rvmhba<x>:<y>:<z>:<filename>.dsk

For background on how SCSI devices are identified, seeDetermining SCSI Target IDs.

2.

Be sure you have access to the files in the directory (in thecase of a virtual disk) or partition (in the case of a raw disk)that holds the source virtual machine. You may be able tomount the source location, or you may prefer to copy the filesto a temporary directory on the console operating system.

If you are not sure where the source files are, open the virtualmachine in the VMware product you used to create it, openthe Configuration Editor (Settings > Configuration Editor),expand the SCSI Drives tree, and click the name of the driveyou want to migrate. The Name field provides the location

3.

information.

Use vmkfstools to import the source virtual machine tothe target location. For <targetfile>.dsk, use the nameof the .dsk file that you removed in step 2.

vmkfstools -i<sourcepath>/<sourcefile>.dskvmhba<x>:<y>:<z>:<targetfile>.dsk

4.

Boot your virtual machine using VMware ESX Server andfollow the instructions below for installing VMware Toolsand the network driver in the virtual machine.

5.

Note: In most cases, the most convenient way to create the VMFSfile system is through the Web-based configuration wizard.However, you can also create a VMFS file system on the partitionor disk using the vmkfstools command. See thevmkfstools(1) man page for details.

Installing VMware Tools and Network Driver in the GuestOperating System

The steps below assume that you are working from a remoteconsole connected to your virtual machine.

Prepare your virtual machine to install VMware Tools. ChooseSettings > VMware Tools Install. This option prepares the floppydrive in the virtual machine to use a floppy image containing theVMware Tools packages. This image, which appears as a regularfloppy disk in the virtual machine, was placed on your machinewhen you installed VMware ESX Server. Follow the directionsbelow to install VMware Tools in your particular guest operatingsystem.

Windows 2000●

Windows NT●

Linux●

Windows 2000 GuestAfter choosing Settings > VMware Tools Install, open theWindows Control Panel (Start > Settings > Control Panel)and double-click Add/Remove Hardware.

1.

In the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard, selectAdd/Troubleshoot a Device. Windows will search for Plugand Play devices.

2.

From the long list of hardware devices, select EthernetController and click Next. You should get a message that thedrivers for this device are not installed. Click Finish tocontinue.

3.

Click Next on the Upgrade Device Wizard screen. Select"Search for a suitable driver for my hardware device," andinstruct Windows to search the floppy drive. Windowsshould find a:\vmnet\win2k\oemsetup.inf. ClickNext and Yes to complete the installation of the VMwarenetwork driver.

4.

Run VMwareTools.exe from the floppy to complete theinstallation of VMware Tools.

5.

Windows NT 4.0 Guest

After selecting Settings > VMware Tools Install, go to Start> Control Panel > Network > Adapters and click Add.

1.

Click Have Disk and enter a:\vmnet\winnt in the InsertDisk dialog. Click OK when VMware Virtual EthernetAdapter is displayed in the Select OEM Option dialog. TheVMware network driver will be installed.

2.

Click Close in the Adapters dialog to complete theinstallation. Windows will let you configure the Internetaddress for the card.

If you are installing on a virtual machine that was createdwith VMware Workstation 2.x and used networking, you willneed to use an address different from the one the originalnetwork configuration used (since that address is stillassigned to the now non-existent virtual AMD card). Or youcan change the address assigned to the AMD card at thispoint.

Note: The VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter driver will runcorrectly only if you have Service Pack 3 or later installed. Ifyou do not have the proper service pack installed yet, youmay get an error message such as: "System Process - DriverEntry Point Not Found; The\SystemRoot\System32\drivers\vmxnet.sys device drivercould not locate the entry pointNdisGetFirstBufferFromPacket in driver NDIS.SYS".However, even if you get this message, the driver shouldwork if you subsequently install the correct service pack.

3.

Windows will ask you to reboot. Click No.4.

Run VMwareTools.exe from the floppy to complete theinstallation of VMware Tools.

5.

Reboot the virtual machine when you finish.6.

Linux Guest

New VMware Tools Installer for Red Hat Linux 7.1

If you are running a Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest operating system,you need an updated version of VMware Tools that supportsthe 2.4.x kernels. You can download the updated VMwareTools installer either in a floppy image file (linux.flp) oras a gzipped tar file (vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz).

Download linux.flp●

Download vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz●

If you use linux.flp, copy it to a location in the consoleoperating system's file system, connect the virtual machine'sfloppy drive to the image file using the Configure VM page ofthe Web-based management interface, then follow the normalinstructions below, starting with step 1.

http://www.vmware.com/software/esx/linux.flp

http://www.vmware.com/software/esx/vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz

If you use vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz, copy it to thevirtual machine's /tmp directory, then follow the normalinstructions below, starting with step 2.

Note: If you are using a custom kernel, you must have thesource code for the kernel on the virtual machine. If the sourcecode is not in /usr/src/linux, create a symbolic linkfrom /usr/src/linux to the location of the source beforeinstalling VMware Tools. For instance, if the source code is in/usr/src/linux-2.4.2, create a symbolic link from/usr/src/linux to /usr/src/linux-2.4.2.

In a Linux guest, become root, mount the VMware Toolsfloppy, copy the contents of the floppy to /tmp, thenunmount the floppy.

sucd /mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /mntcp /mnt/* /tmpumount /dev/fd0

1.

Untar the VMware Tools tar file in /tmp and install it.

cd /tmptar zxf vmware-linux-tools.tar.gzcd vmware-linux-tools./install.pl

Note: If you have a Red Hat Linux 7.0 guest operatingsystem and have installed the kernel source files, you will getsome compiler error messages during the VMware Toolsinstallation, because of a bug in the Red Hat 7.0 kernelheaders. However, the toolbox and drivers will still workcorrectly.

2.

Test to be sure that the vmxnet driver is installed correctly.insmod vmxnet

If the driver is installed correctly, you will see someinformative output but no error messages. In addition, youshould now have an entry such as alias eth0 vmxnetin the file /etc/conf.modules (or/etc/modules.conf in Red Hat Linux 7.0).

3.

If you wish, start X and your graphical environment andlaunch the VMware Tools background application.

vmware-toolbox &

4.








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VMware ESX Server


Preparing to Use the Remote Management Software

You can manage VMware ESX Server from a remote workstationusing the VMware remote console and the Web-basedmanagement interface.

Remote console software is available for Windows and Linuxworkstations. The remote console lets you attach directly to avirtual machine. You can start and stop programs, change theconfiguration of the guest operating system, and do other tasks asif you were working at a physical computer.

The Web-based management interface can be used from anyworkstation with a compatible browser -- Internet Explorer 5.0 orhigher or Netscape 4.5 or higher. It gives you a bird's-eye view ofall the registered virtual machines on a server and allows you tostop, start, suspend, resume, and reset a virtual machine.

Note: If you need secure communications between yourmanagement workstations and the server, you will need to installappropriate software to provide that security. For additionaldetails, see the Network Security section in the technical noteAuthentication and Security Features in VMware ESX Server.

Registering Your Virtual Machines

If you create your virtual machines using the Virtual MachineConfiguration Wizard, they are automatically registered in the file/etc/vmware/vm-list on the server's console operatingsystem. The remote management software checks this file forpointers to the virtual machines you want to manage.

If you want to manage virtual machines that you set up in someother way, without using the wizard, you must first register them.To do so, use this command:

vmware-control -s register /<configpath>/<configfile>.cfg

To remove a virtual machine from the list, use this command:

vmware-control -s unregister /<configpath>/<configfile>.cfg


























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Installing the Remote Console Software

Use the package that corresponds to the operating system runningon your management workstation, and follow the installation stepsbelow.

Installer files are available on the distribution CD-ROM. You mayalso download the appropriate installer from the Overview page ofthe Web-based management interface.

Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000●

Linux●

Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000

Find the installer file --VMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.exe -- on thedistribution CD or in the directory where you downloaded it.

1.

Double-click VMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.exe tostart the installation wizard.

2.

Follow the on-screen instructions.3.

Linux - RPM Installer

Find the installer file --VMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.i386.rpm -- on thedistribution CD or in the directory where you downloaded itand change to that directory.

1.

Run the RPM installer.rpm -UhvVMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.i386.rpm

2.

Linux - Tar Installer

Find the installer file --VMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.tar.gz -- on thedistribution CD or in the directory where you downloaded itand copy it to the /tmp directory or another directory ofyour choice.

1.



















Unpack the tar archive.tar zxf VMware-console-1.v.v-xxxx.tar.gz

2.

Change to the directory where the archive was unpacked.cd vmware-console-distrib

3.

Run the installer../vmware-install.pl

4.

For information on running virtual machines from the remoteconsole, see Using the Remote Console








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Using the Web-Based Management Interface

To use the Web-based interface, you should be running Internet Explorer 4.0or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.5 or higher. If you are using NetscapeNavigator, check the advanced preferences (Edit > Preference > Advanced)to be sure JavaScript and style sheets are both enabled. You will need toknow the host name or IP address of the server you want to monitor.

The URL to connect to the server ishttp://<hostname>:8222/overview/



















The controls in the Web-based management interface are in columns labeledwith symbols similar to those on a CD player.

Click this icon to power down the virtual machine.

Click this icon to suspend a running virtual machine or resume asuspended virtual machine.

Click this icon to power on a stopped virtual machine or to resume asuspended virtual machine.

Click this icon to reset a running virtual machine. (This is a soft reset,equivalent to giving a restart command within the guest operatingsystem.)

If you have installed the remote console software on your workstation (seebelow), you can also launch a remote console session for a virtual machineby clicking the terminal icon ( ) for that virtual machine. On a WindowsNT or Windows 2000 workstation, Internet Explorer will be configuredautomatically when you install the remote console software. If you are usingNetscape Navigator, you will need to set things up the first time you use thisfeature.

In Netscape Navigator on Windows, follow these steps to set the MIMEtype.

Use the browser to connect to the server you want to manage.1.

Click the terminal icon for the virtual machine you want to view in aremote console.

2.

A dialog will ask what you want to do with the file.Click Pick App

3.

Another dialog will let you enter the path to the application or browseto it.Fill in the path or browse to the remote console program.The default path is C:\ProgramFiles\VMware\Programs\Console\vmwareConsole.exe.

4.

Your browser is now set to launch the remote console when you clickthe terminal icon in the future.

5.

In Netscape Navigator on Linux, follow these steps to set the MIME type.

Select Edit > Preferences...1.

Expand Navigator.2.

Highlight Applications.3.

Click New.An input dialog is displayed.

4.

Fill in the Description field with VMware remote console.5.

Fill in MIMEType with application/x-vmware-console.6.

Leave Suffixes blank.7.

Click the Application diamond.8.

Fill in Application with the path to the remote console program orclick Choose to navigate to the program on your computer. The defaultpath is /usr/bin/vmware-console -o %s >/dev/null 2>&1.

9.

Click OK to close the input dialog.10.

Click OK to close the preferences dialog.11.

Using Disk Modes

ESX Server can use disks in four different modes: persistent, nonpersistent,undoable and append. Persistent disks behave exactly like conventional diskdrives on a computer. All writes to a persistent disk are written outpermanently to the disk as soon as the guest operating system writes the data.All changes to a nonpersistent mode disk are discarded after that ESXServer session is powered down. When you use undoable mode, you havethe option later of keeping or discarding changes you have made during aworking session. Until you decide, the changes are saved in a redo-log file.ESX Server supports an additional append mode for disk images stored asVMFS files. Like undoable mode, append mode maintains a redo log.However, in this mode, no dialog appears when the virtual machine ispowered off to ask whether you want to commit changes. All changes arecontinually appended to the redo log. At any point, the changes can beundone by removing the redo log. You should shut down the guest operatingsystem and power off the virtual machine before deleting that virtualmachine's redo log.

You can use the Configure VM page of the Web-based managementinterface to change the disk mode for your virtual machine.

Connect to the server that hosts the virtual machine as a user who hasrights to administer the virtual machine. The virtual machine should bepowered off.

1.

Click the link under the name of the virtual machine you want tomodify.

2.

Click Edit VM Configuration.3.

Find the listing for the drive you want to change.4.

Choose the appropriate option for Persistent, Nonpersistent, Undoableor Append disk mode from the drop-down list, then click ApplyChanges.

5.








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Using the Remote Console

The remote console gives you a direct window into an individual virtual machinerunning under VMware ESX Server. Remote console software is available forWindows NT, Windows 2000 and Linux management workstations. Forinstructions on installing the software, see Installing the Remote ConsoleSoftware.

Note: You must use the version of the remote console supplied with ESX Serverin order to connect to an ESX Server virtual machine. At this time, it is notpossible to connect to an ESX server virtual machine using the remote consolesupplied with VMware GSX Server, and the two versions cannot be installed onthe same computer.

If you need to manage ESX Server and GSX Server virtual machines from thesame computer, there is a workaround. You can run VMware Workstation onyour management workstation and run one version of the remote console in aVMware Workstation virtual machine. Install the more often used remoteconsole software on your physical computer and the less often used remoteconsole in the virtual machine.

Starting the Remote Console on Windows

Start the remote console program.Start > Programs > VMware > VMware Remote Console

1.

A dialog asks for the information needed to connect you to the virtualmachine. Fill in the blanks with

The host name (or IP address)❍

The port (keep the default -- 902 -- unless you are using a mappedport on a secure connection)

❍

The path to the virtual machine's configuration file on the server❍

Your user name❍

Your password❍

2.

Starting the Remote Console on Linux

Start the remote console program.vmware-console

1.

A dialog asks for the information needed to connect you to the virtual2.



















machine. Fill in the blanks with

The host name (or IP address)❍

The port (keep the default -- 902 -- unless you are using a mappedport on a secure connection)

❍

The path to the virtual machine's configuration file on the server❍

Your user name❍

Your password❍

Running a Virtual Machine Using the Remote Console

When you view your virtual machine through a remote console, it behaves muchlike a separate computer that runs in a window on your computer's desktop.

Instead of using physical buttons to turn this computer on and off, you usebuttons at the top of the VMware console window.

This virtual machine is powered off

This virtual machine is powered on

The power button is labeled Power On or Power Off, depending on whether yourvirtual computer is running or not.

When VMware Tools for Windows is running, the VMware Tools icon appearsin the system tray

VMware Tools Settings

The following description of the settings for VMware Tools is based on aWindows 2000 guest operating system. Similar configuration options areavailable in VMware Tools for other guest operating systems.

To open the VMware Tools control panel, double-click the VMware Toolsicon in the virtual machine's system tray. The VMware Tools Propertiesdialog appears.

1.

On the VMware Tools tab, you see status information about the virtualmachine. Click the link button to visit the VMware home page.

2.

To enable or disable removable devices, click the Devices tab. (You canalso set these options from the Devices menu of the ESX Server remoteconsole window.) The devices you can enable or disable include the servermachine's floppy disk drive and the CD-ROM drive.

3.

The shrink tab lets you prepare to export a virtual disk to VMware GSXServer using the smallest possible disk files. This step is optional.

Virtual disks on ESX Server take up the full amount of disk spaceindicated by the virtual disk's size. In other words, the .dsk file for a4GB virtual disk will occupy 4GB of disk space.

GSX Server works differently. Under GSX Server, virtual disk files startsmall -- only as big as needed to hold the data stored on the virtual disk --and grow as needed up to the designated maximum size.

If you plan to export a virtual disk for use under GSX Server, click theShrink tab, be sure there is a check beside the name of the disk you plan toexport, then click Prepare to shrink.

Note: When you export the virtual disk (using the vmkfstools program), asingle virtual disk may be composed of multiple .dsk files.

4.

On the Other tab, you can specify whether you want to synchronize thetime between the virtual machine and the console operating system. Youcan also specify whether you want to display the VMware Tools icon inthe system tray.

5.

Installing New Software Inside the Virtual Machine

Installing new software in a ESX Server virtual machine is just like installing iton a regular computer. Carry out these steps at the ESX Server computer. Youwill need to have access to the ESX Server computer to insert installationCD-ROM discs or floppy disks into the server's drives. The following steps arebased on using a Windows 2000 or Windows NT guest operating system. If youare using a Linux guest operating system, some details will vary.

Be sure you have started the virtual machine and, if necessary, logged on.Check the Devices menu to be sure the virtual machine has access to theCD-ROM and floppy drives.

1.

Insert the installation CD-ROM or floppy disk into the proper drive. If youare installing from a CD-ROM, the installation program may startautomatically.

2.

If the installation program does not start automatically, click the WindowsStart button, go to Settings > Control Panel, then double-clickAdd/Remove Programs and click Add New Programs. Follow theinstructions on screen and in the user manual for your new software.

3.

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting

Be sure you have installed and started VMware Tools in your virtual machine.

In a Windows guest operating system, you will see a VMware Tools icon in thesystem tray when VMware Tools is running.

When VMware Tools is running, you can copy and paste text betweenapplications in the virtual machine and the host computer or between two virtualmachines.

Using Suspend and Resume

You can save the current state of your virtual machine. Then the resume featurelets you quickly pick up work right where you stopped -- with all runningapplications in the same state they were at the time you suspended the virtualmachine.

There are two ways to suspend a virtual machine:

With a remote console connected to that virtual machine, click Suspend onthe button bar.

●

With the Web-based management interface connected to the virtualmachine's server, click the pause button ( ) on the row for that virtualmachine.

●

There are two ways to restore a virtual machine that you have suspended:

With a remote console connected to that virtual machine, click Resume onthe button bar.

●

With the Web-based management interface connected to the virtualmachine's server, click the pause button ( ) on the row for that virtualmachine.

●

Shutting Down a Virtual Machine

Select Shut Down from the Start menu of the guest operating system(inside the virtual machine).

1.

Select Shut Down, then click OK.2.

If you are using a different guest operating system, follow the usual steps to shutdown the guest operating system inside your virtual machine.








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Characteristics of the VMware Console Operating System

The purpose of the VMware Console Operating System is to startup and administer your virtual machines. It is a customized versionof Linux based on the Red Hat 6.2 distribution. It has beenmodified to allow itself to be managed by the VMkernel.

The console operating system has been customized to disableunneeded services. In particular, most network services have beendisabled, except for telnet and auth. You may want to disable telnetfor added security and use ssh instead for remote access to theconsole operating system.

The following services in /etc/rc.d/init.d are left enabled:

network --configures network interfaces when the system isbooted

syslog -- logging of system messages

atd -- runs jobs queued by at

crond -- runs cron jobs

inet --telnet and auth enabled, also vmware-authd in/etc/inetd.conf

lpd -- printer daemon

gpm -- console mouse support

xfs -- X font server

The console operating system is scheduled by the VMkernel just asany other virtual machine is. You should not attempt to run heavyworkloads on the console operating system, because it will takeprocessor cycles away from your virtual machines.

You should also avoid running X on the console operating system.However, if you do choose to run X and the GNOME desktop,remember to disable any GNOME applications that automount theCD-ROM, such as magicdev. Otherwise the CD-ROM will beunavailable to the guest operating systems. You can either use thecommand killall magicdev or edit .gnome/magicdevand add the following line:do_automount=false, do_cd_play=false



















Using DHCP for the Console Operating System

The recommended setup is to use static IP addresses for theconsole operating system. It is also possible to set up the consoleoperating system to use DHCP, as long as your DNS server iscapable of mapping the console operating system's host name tothe dynamically-generated IP address. If your DNS server cannotmap the host's name to its DHCP-generated IP address, which maybe the case, you will have to determine the console operatingsystem's numeric IP address yourself and use that numeric addresswhen accessing the management user interface's Web pages. Keepin mind that the numeric IP address may change as DHCP leasesrun out or when the system is rebooted. For this reason, we do notrecommend using DHCP for the console operating system unlessyour DNS server can handle the host name translation.








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Loading and Unloading VMkernel and VMkernel Modules

The VMkernel Loader

The program vmkloader loads or unloads the VMkernel. Withno flags, it loads the VMkernel specified by<vmkernel-binary>. If the VMkernel is already loaded, theload will fail.

If the unload option (-u) is specified then the<vmkernel-binary> argument is ignored and the VMkernel isunloaded as long as no virtual machines are currently running onthe VMkernel. If there are virtual machines running, then theunload fails. If the force option is specified (-f), vmkloaderunloads the VMkernel even if there is a virtual machine running.

If you have a SCSI adapter or RAID controller shared between theconsole operating system and the virtual machines, you cannotunload the VMkernel.

Options

-fUnload the VMkernel even if a virtual machine is currentlyrunning on it.

-n <num>Force the VMkernel and all virtual machines to run on only<num> processors, even if the physical machine has more than<num> processors.

-sForce the VMkernel and all virtual machines to run on only asingle processor, even if the physical machine is a multiprocessorcomputer.

-uUnload the VMkernel

Examples

vmkloader /usr/lib/vmware/vmkernelloads the VMkernel binary /usr/lib/vmware/vmkernel.

vmkloader -u



















unloads the VMkernel if there are no virtual machines running.

vmkloader -ufunloads the VMkernel even if there are virtual machines running.








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Configuring Your Server to Use VMkernel Device Modules

Loading VMkernel Device Modules

The install process should detect the devices that are assigned to theVMkernel and automatically load appropriate modules into theVMkernel to make use of these devices.

However, there may be situations in which you wish to loadVMkernel device modules explicitly. Modules supported in thisrelease are located in /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod. Thecommand vmkload_mod(1) loads VMkernel modules.

VMkernel module loader

The program vmkload_mod is used to load device driver andnetwork shaper modules into the VMkernel. vmkload_mod canalso be used to unload a module, list the loaded modules, and listthe available parameters for each module.

The format for the command is

vmkload_mod <options> <module-binary><module-tag> <parameters>

<module-binary> is the name of the module binary that isbeing loaded. <module-tag> is the name that the VMkernelassociates with the loaded module. The tag can be any string ofletters and numbers. If the module is a device driver, the VMkernelwill name the module with the <module-tag> plus a numberstarting from zero. If there are multiple device instances created byloading the module or multiple device driver modules loaded withthe same tag, each device will get a unique number based on theorder in which device instances are created.

The <module-binary> and <module-tag> parts of thecommand line are required when a module is loaded and areignored when the --unload, --list, and --showparamoptions are used. The <parameters> part of the command line isoptional and is used only when a module is being loaded.

Options

-l



















--listList out the current modules loaded. If the -l option is given, otherarguments on the command line are ignored.

-u <module-binary>--unload <module-binary>Unload the module named <module-binary>.

-v--verboseBe verbose during the module loading.

-d <scsi-device-name>--device <scsi-device-name>The module being loaded is for a SCSI adapter that is currentlybeing used by the console operating system. After the module isloaded the SCSI adapter will be controlled by the VMkernel but theconsole operating system will continue to be able to access all SCSIdevices. The format of <scsi-device-name> is<PCI-Bus>:<PCI-slot>.

-e--exportsymExport all global exported symbols from this module. This willallow other modules to use exported functions and variables fromthe loaded module. This option should not be used for normaldevice driver and shaper modules since there may be symbolconflicts.

-s--showparamList all available module parameters that can be specified in the<parameters> section of the command line.

Parameters

Modules can specify parameters that can be set on the commandline. A list of these parameters is shown via the --showparamoption. In order to set one of these parameters, you must specify aname-value pair at the end of the command line. The syntax is ofthe form name=value. Any number of parameters can bespecified.

Examples

vmkload_mod ~/modules/e100.o vmnic debug=5loads the module ~/modules/e100.o into the VMkernel. Thetag for this module is vmnic. Each EEPro card that was assignedto the VMkernel will be given the name vmnic<#>, where <#>starts at 0. For example, if there were two EEPro cards assigned tothe VMkernel, they would have VMkernel names of vmnic0 andvmnic1. The module parameter debug will be set to the value 5.

vmkload_mod --device 0:12 ~/modules/aic7xxx.ovmhbaloads the module ~/modules/aic7xxx.o into the VMkernel.The tag for this module is vmhba. The Adaptec SCSI adapter iscurrently being used by the console operating system. The SCSIadapter is located on PCI bus 0, slot 12.

vmkload_mod --exportsym ~/modules/vmklinux

linuxdriversloads the module ~/modules/vmklinux into the VMkernel.All exported symbols from this module will be available to othermodules that are subsequently loaded. The vmklinux module isthe module that allows Linux device drivers to run in the VMkernelso it is one of the few modules for which the --exportsymoption makes sense.

Here are several examples of command lines that load variousmodules:

Preparing to load modules

vmkload_mod -e/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/vmklinux linux

This command must be given before you load other devicemodules. It loads in common code that allows the VMkernelto make use of modules derived from Linux device drivers tomanage its high-performance devices. The -e option isrequired so that the vmklinux module exports its symbols,making them available for use by other modules.

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Loading modules

vmkload_mod /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/e100.ovmnicvmkload_mod/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/aic7xxx.o vmhba

The first of these commands loads a module to control theEEPro Ethernet device(s) reserved for the VMkernel. Thesecond loads a module to control the Adaptec SCSIdevice(s). The last argument supplied (vmnic and vmhba inthe above examples) determines the base name that VMwareuses to refer to the device(s) in the VMware virtual machineconfiguration file.

For example, suppose your machine has two EEPro Ethernetcards and three Adaptec SCSI cards, and you assigned oneEthernet card and two SCSI cards to the VMkernel duringthe installation process. After you issue the two commandsabove, the EEPro Ethernet card assigned to the VMkernel isgiven the name vmnic0 and the two SCSI cards assigned tothe VMkernel are given the names vmhba0 and vmhba1.

Note: the Adaptec VMkernel module need only be loadedonce, even though two Adaptec SCSI cards are assigned tothe VMkernel.

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The VMkernel can also share SCSI adapters with the consoleoperating system, rather than exclusively controlling them. Theinstallation process will allow you to specify SCSI adapters that areshared and load the device module appropriately. However, if youwish to control the sharing explicitly, assign the SCSI device to theconsole operating system during the installation process. Then loadthe VMkernel SCSI module using the following syntax:

vmkload_mod -d bus:slot/usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/aic7xxx.o vmhba

To obtain the bus and slot (also known as device or cardnum)information, examine /proc/pci, output from the scanpcicommand, or both.

Note: The device must be correctly assigned to the consoleoperating system. Devices assigned exclusively to the VMkernelduring the installation process will no longer appear in/proc/pci.

After you load a VMkernel device module, an entry will appear in/proc/vmware/net or /proc/vmware/scsi. For example,when e100.o is loaded as described above, the entry/proc/vmware/net/vmnic0 will appear, indicating there isone EEPro card controlled by the VMkernel and available asvmnic0 to the virtual machines. See Configuring and RunningVirtual Machines on VMware ESX Server for information on howto configure virtual machines to use VMkernel devices.

Other Information About VMkernel Modules

The only non-device VMkernel module available in this release ofVMware ESX Server is the nfshaper module, which providessupport for network filtering, as described in the technical noteResource Management. Load nfshaper using the followingsyntax.

vmkload_mod /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/nfshaper.onfshaper

To list the loaded VMkernel modules, run vmkload_mod -l.For more information on loading VMkernel modules, see Loadingand Unloading VMkernel and VMkernel Modules.

VMkernel modules must be reloaded each time the VMkernel isloaded. If you have configured your system to load the VMkernelautomatically on each reboot, you can have the modules loadedautomatically as well by adding entries to the file/etc/vmware/vmkmodule.conf. The vmkmodule.conffile is read only if it contains a comment line containing thekeyword MANUAL-CONFIG. Otherwise, the configuration isobtained automatically from the database of the managementinterface.

Each line that is not blank and does not begin with # should containthe name of a module file, the tag that will be associated with themodule in the VMkernel, and possibly a sharing specification (theargument specified with the -d flag above). The module file shouldjust be the base file name, without the /usr/lib/vmware/...path. A sample vmkmodule.conf file is:

# MANUAL-CONFIGvmklinux.o linuxe100.o vmnicaic7xxx.o vmhba 0:1nfshaper.o nfshaper








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What's New | Requirements | Installation |Documentation | Troubleshooting

Guest Operating System Installation Instructions

These instructions will step you through the process ofinstalling a guest operating system in a virtual machine.

Windows 2000●

Windows NT 4.0●

Red Hat Linux●


























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Configuring Virtual Machines

The simplest way to set up a new virtual machine is to use the Virtual MachineConfiguration Wizard, as described in the section on configuring the ESX Servermachine.

Key configuration settings for an existing virtual machine can be changed from theWeb-based management interface. The virtual machine must be powered off whenyou change the configuration.

Log in to the server from the Web-based management interface(http://<hostname>:8222/) as a user who has rights to change theconfiguration file.

1.

From the server's overview page(http://<hostname>:8222/overview), click the link under thename of the virtual machine you want to reconfigure.

2.

On the details page for that virtual machine, click Edit VM Configuration.3.



















Make any changes you wish to the configuration, then click Apply Changes.4.

To modify other settings in the configuration, log in to the VMware ConsoleOperating System. Then manually edit the configuration file as described in thissection. For purposes of illustration, we will assume that you are working with thefile newvm.cfg in a directory named /vms/vm1.

There may also be situations when you want to create virtual machine that aremore complex than you can create using the Web-based interface. In these cases,you will need to start with the configuration file template --/usr/share/doc/vmware/sample.cfg -- copy it to a new file, andmanually edit the copy as described in this section.

Using VMkernel Devices

The VMkernel devices -- whether shared or not -- must be referenced and activatedin the VMware virtual machine's configuration (.cfg) file, as described in thissection. You must also load a special VMware network driver into the guestoperating system, as described in the section on how to install the VMware Tools.

Ethernet

The Ethernet section of the configuration will be in this format:

ethernet0.present = TRUEethernet0.connectionType = monitor_devethernet0.virtualDev = vmxnetethernet0.devName = vmnic0

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ethernet0.exclusive = TRUE

In this configuration, ethernet0.connectionType =monitor_dev and ethernet0.virtualDev = vmxnet specify thatthe virtual machine's Ethernet will use the VMkernel high-performancenetwork device. ethernet0.devName = vnmic0 specifies that thevirtual network device will correspond to the first network device activatedby the vmkload_mod .../vmkernel .../XXX.o vmniccommand. The ethernet0.exclusive = TRUE line makes thenetworking more efficient if only one virtual machine will be using thenetwork card. You should remove this line if more than one virtual machinewill use the card.

VMFS virtual SCSI disks

VMware ESX Server supports a simple file system known as VMFS(VMWare ESX Server File System) on physical SCSI disks and partitions tomake it easy to allocate space for a disk image. VMFS allows many diskimages to stored on one large physical SCSI disk or partition. TheWeb-based management interface will automatically create VMFS filesystems and VMFS files as you configure your system and create virtualmachines. However, VMFS files can also be created and managed via thevmkfstools(1) command. There is almost no performance penalty foraccessing disk images allocated using this file system, since accesses are stillvia raw SCSI I/O. An example configuration that use a disk image allocatedin a VMFS is:

scsi0.present = TRUEscsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic

scsi0:2.present = TRUEscsi0:2.name = vmhba1:3:0:2:data.dsk

In this configuration, scsi0.present = TRUE specifies that the virtualmachine has a SCSI adapter called scsi0. scsi0.virtualDev =vmxbuslogic specifies that the virtual machine's first SCSI adapter willaccess data from the VMkernel SCSI device. scsi0:2.name=vmhba1:3:0:2:data.dsk specifies the location of the disk image thatwill be used for SCSI target 2 on the first virtual SCSI adapter.

The location of the disk image is specified in a notation with the form<adapterName>:<target>:<lun>:<partition>:<fileName>.An adapter name such as vmhba1 specifies the second physical SCSIadapter activated by the vmkload_mod .../XXX.o vmhba command.The second component of the location specifies the ID of the target on thenamed adapter. The third component specifies the LUN (logical unitnumber), and is typically zero. The fourth component specifies the partition.The last component specifies the name of the disk image in the VMFS filesystem on the specified partition.

So scsi0:2.name=vmhba1:3:0:2:data.dsk indicates that the diskimage is in the file data.dsk on partition 2 of the disk at target 3 andLUN 0 on the second SCSI adapter activated by the vmkload_mod.../XXX.o vmhba command.

A specification may have a partition specified as 0, in which case it refers toa VMFS that covers a complete, unpartitioned disk (target). However, ifyour SCSI adapter is shared with the console operating system, rather thanassigned exclusively to the VMkernel, you cannot access a VMFS thatcovers the entire disk. Thus, we recommend that you always create at least

●

one partition on each disk and create the VMFS within that partition.

For information on copying an existing virtual disk from the consoleoperating system to a VMFS file, see the section Migrating VMwareWorkstation and VMware GSX Server Disks.

Note: If you have not determined which SCSI target ID corresponds to thedisk you wish to use in the virtual machine, see Determining SCSI TargetIDs.

Access modes

By default, disk images on a raw SCSI disk are accessed in persistent mode.That is, all changes are written directly to the disk image and cannot beundone. This mode provides the most efficient access to the data. ESXServer also supports nonpersistent and undoable modes, similar to themodes supported for virtual disks by VMware Workstation 2.x. You canchange the disk mode setting on the Edit VM Configuration page of theWeb-based management interface. The virtual machine must be powereddown before you change the disk mode. You can also make the changesdirectly in the configuration file by including lines in the following format:

scsi0:2.mode = nonpersistentorscsi0:2.mode = undoable

If the mode of a disk image is nonpersistent, any changes to the disk will belost when the associated virtual machine shuts down. If the mode of the diskimage is undoable, the changes will be maintained in a separate file, knownas the redo log, on the SCSI disk. Each time the virtual machine is powereddown, a dialog will ask whether changes made to the disk during the currentsession should be discard, committed to the base disk image, or appended(kept in the redo log).

VMware ESX Server supports an additional append mode for disk imagesstored as VMFS files. Like undoable mode, append mode maintains a redolog. However, in this mode, no dialog appears when the virtual machine ispowered off to ask whether you want to commit changes. All changes arecontinually appended to the redo log. At any point, you can undo all thechanges by removing the redo log. Its name is derived from the originalname of the file that contains the disk by adding .REDO. Changes can becommitted permanently to the base disk image via the commit option of thevmkfstools command.

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Virtual SCSI disks on the console operating system

VMware ESX Server also supports virtual SCSI disks that are stored on thefile system of the console operating system. Virtual SCSI disks createdunder VMware Workstation 2.x are supported, although a new networkdriver will need to be loaded onto the disk for use by the guest operatingsystem. Disks created under VMware GSX Server are also supported. Fordetails, see Migrating VMware Workstation 2.x and VMware GSX ServerDisks.

To create a new, blank virtual SCSI disk for your virtual machine, copy thefile /usr/lib/vmware/virt-scsi.dsk from the ESX Serverinstallation CD-ROM to the working directory for your virtual machine.

cp virt-scsi.dsk /vms/vm1/virt-scsi.dsk

Then add lines to your virtual machine's configuration file to describe the

●

new disk. Those lines have the following format:

scsi0.present = TRUEscsi0.virtualDev = buslogic

scsi0:1.present = TRUEscsi0:1.fileName = virt-scsi.dskscsi0:1.mode = nonpersistent

Note: Using virtual disks will not take advantage of ESX Server's newhigh-performance SCSI disk architecture and therefore the performance ofthe virtual machine may suffer.

Naming VMFS file systems

If you create a VMFS file system on a SCSI disk or partition, you can give aname to that file system and use that name when specifying VMFS files onthat file system. For instance, suppose you have a VMFS file system on theSCSI partition vmhba0:3:1 and have created a VMFS file nt4.dsk.You can name that file system either using the Web-based configurationwizard or via a vmkfstools command such as

vmkfstools -S mydisk vmhba0:3:1

You can then refer to the nt4.dsk file as mydisk:nt4.dsk (instead ofvmhba0:3:1:0:nt4.dsk) in a virtual machine configuration file and inother vmkfstools commands. Naming VMFS file systems is especiallyuseful if you may be adding SCSI adapters or disks to your system, in whichcase the actual disk and target numbers specifying a particular VMFS maychange, but the name will stay the same.

Recommended Configuration Options

This section details options that can influence the performance of yourvirtual machines. These settings are not required to run VMware ESX Servercorrectly.

SleepWhenIdle

The configuration file option monitor.SleepWhenIdledetermines whether the VMkernel deschedules an idle virtualmachine. By default, this option is enabled, a setting that ensuresmuch better performance when running multiple virtual machines.

When you are running running only a single virtual machine (such asfor benchmarking VMware ESX Server), add the following line to thevirtual machine's configuration (.cfg) file if you want to achieve thebest possible performance in the virtual machine (at the expense ofresponsiveness in the console operating system):

monitor.SleepWhenIdle = 0

❍

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Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

Suspending a virtual machine, then later resuming its operation,can speed provisioning tasks -- for example, deployment ofstandby servers. VMware ESX Server supports two configurationsfor resuming a suspended virtual machine.

You can suspend a running virtual machine at any time,then resume operation, suspend at a later time, then resumewith the machine in the second state, and so on.

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You can suspend a virtual machine at any desired point inits operation, then lock in the suspended state at that chosenpoint. Any time you restart the virtual machine, it willresume in the same state -- the state it was in when you firstsuspended it.

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Note: You should not change a configuration file after yoususpend a virtual machine, since the virtual machine will notresume properly if the configuration file is inconsistent with thesuspended virtual machine. Also, you should not move anyphysical disks or change the name of any VMFS file systems thatthe virtual machine uses, since the virtual machine will not then beable to access its virtual disks when it resumes.

You can also set the configuration of each virtual machine so thefile that stores information on the suspended state is saved in alocation of your choice.

Suspend Directory

When a virtual machine is suspended, its state is written to a filewith a .std extension. By default, the .std file is written to thesame directory as the configuration file. Similarly, when a virtualmachine is being resumed, VMware ESX Server looks for the.std file in the same directory as the configuration file. You canchange the directory where the .std file is stored by adding a lineto the virtual machine's configuration file, using this format:

suspend.directory = /vmfs/vmhba0:0:0:8

Note that the configuration file points to a directory referencing aVMFS disk. Using this format, you can store the .std file on aVMFS file system on a fast SCSI disk. You can reduce suspend



















and resume times by storing the .std file on a fast SCSI disk,especially if the file system containing the configuration file is onan IDE disk or is remote.

Repeatable Resumes

The configuration file option resume.repeatable determinesthe system's behavior when you suspend a virtual machine, thenresume operation. When a virtual machine is suspended, a filewith a .std extension is written out. This file contains the entirestate of the virtual machine. When the virtual machine is resumed,its state is restored from the .std file. If you have not modifiedthe virtual machine's configuration, the .std file is then removed.

This behavior ensures that a .std file is used only once to resumea virtual machine -- which is the safest behavior. Note that avirtual machine you have suspended and resumed may besuspended again, creating a new .std file.

If, on the other hand, you want to be able to resume a virtualmachine in the same state repeatedly —- for example, in a QAtesting environment -— include the following line in that virtualmachine's configuration file.

resume.repeatable = TRUE

If this line is present, the .std file is not deleted after it is used toresume the virtual machine. When you power off the resumedvirtual machine, you can again resume its operation in the samestate using the same .std file.

This option makes it easy to start a virtual machine again andagain in the exact same state. If you no longer want to resume thevirtual machine using the existing .std file, you must remove the.std file manually. Once it is deleted, you may suspend thevirtual machine in a new state to create a new .std file.








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Authentication and Security Features

There are three key aspects to security with VMware ESX Server.

VMware ESX Server authenticates all remote users who connect to a server using the Web-based managementinterface or the remote console.

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Network traffic to and from the server may be secured using SSH or other security software.●

Two TCP/IP ports are used for access. The Web-based management interface uses port 8222. The remote console usesport 902. Depending on your remote access requirements, you may need to configure your firewall to allow access onone or both of these ports.

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Authenticating Users

VMware ESX Server uses Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) for user authentication in the remote console and theWeb-based management interface. The default installation of ESX Server uses /etc/passwd authentication, just as Linuxdoes, but it can easily be configured to use LDAP, NIS, Kerberos, or another distributed authentication mechanism.

The PAM configuration is in /etc/pam.d/vmware-authd.

Every time a connection is made to the server running VMware ESX Server, the inetd process runs an instance of theVMware authentication daemon (vmware-authd). The vmware-authd process requests a user name and password, thenhands them off to PAM, which performs the authentication.

Once a user is authenticated, vmware-authd accepts a path name to a virtual machine configuration file. Access to theconfiguration file is restricted in the following ways:

The user must have read access to the configuration file to see and control the virtual machine in the Web-basedmanagement interface and to view the Details and Event Log pages.

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The user must have read access to the configuration file to use the local console on the console operating system or toconnect to the virtual machine with the VMware Perl API.

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The user must have read and execute access to the configuration file to connect to and control (start, stop, reset orsuspend) a virtual machine in a remote console, with the VMware Perl API or with the management interface.

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The user must have read and write access to the configuration file to change the configuration using the Configure VMpage in the Web-based management interface.

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Note: If you have users with list access, but not read access, they may encounter errors in the Web-based managementinterface.

If a vmware process is not running for this configuration file, vmware-authd examines /etc/vmware/vm-list, thefile where you register your virtual machines. If the configuration file is listed in vm-list, vmware-authd (notnecessarily the user who is currently authenticated) becomes the owner of the configuration file and starts VMware ESXServer with this configuration file as an argument (for example, vmware/<path_to_config>/<configfile>.cfg).

Registered virtual machines (those listed in /etc/vmware/vm-list) also appear in the Web-based managementinterface. The virtual machines you see on the Overview page must be listed in vm-list, and you must have read access totheir configuration files.

The vmware-authd process exits as soon as a connection to a vmware process is established. Each vmware process shutsdown automatically after the last user disconnects.

Default Permissions

When you create a virtual machine with VMware ESX Server, its configuration file is registered with the following defaultpermissions, based on the user accessing it:

Read, execute and write - for the user who created the configuration file (the owner)●

Read and execute - for the group●

Read - for users other than the owner or a member of the owner's group●

Security on the Network

The user name and password sent to the server when you use the remote console or the management interface are notencrypted in this version of ESX Server.

If you are managing the server and its virtual machines entirely on a secure network, you may not need to take any specialnetwork security measures. However, if you are using the product on an externally visible system or in a less secureenvironment, you should tunnel the network connection between the remote management workstations and the server usingSSH2 or another form of strong encryption.

SSH Communications Security provides a commercial version of SSH2, with software available for a variety of server andclient operating systems. The server version that supports Red Hat Linux with kernel 2.2.x on an Intel platform can be used

http://www.ssh.com/

with the ESX Server console operating system.

OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH tools. The "portable" version of OpenSSH 2.2.1 or higher is appropriate for use withthe ESX Server console operating system.

Once you have the software running on the ESX Server console operating system and on the remote workstation, you can usean SSH2 command to start a tunnel connection from the workstation to the server. If you are using OpenSSH, for example,you would establish a tunneled connection like this.

As root on the remote workstation, type the following at the command line:

ssh -f -n -N -x -2 -L 902:localhost:902 -L 8222:localhost:8222 <user>@<hostname>

1.

Then do one of the following:

Connect to the Web-based management interface via the SSH tunnel by pointing your browser to the followingURL:http://localhost:8222/login

❍

Using the remote console, specify localhost as the host, and use port 902 as you normally would.❍

2.

Alternately, you can create a configuration file with the SSH options shown in the command line above. Save this file in~root/.ssh/config.

For greater security, you can lock down the server. Key steps are listed below. For more information, see thecomp.os.linux.security FAQ.

Completely disable any unnecessary services, such as NFS or telnet.1.

Lock out all remote connections -- especially any connections not from the local host on ports 902 and 8222 -- exceptthose on port 22, the location of the SSH service. You need to modify the configurations of inetd and apacherespectively.

2.

If you want to prevent remote users from accessing a shell or running arbitrary commands via SSH, modify the sshdconfiguration file on the server to restrict connections to those with known DSA keys, then edit the/etc/ssh/authorized_keys2 file by adding the following options along with the authorized keys.

command="/bin/sleep 8h",no-port-forwarding,no-X11-forwarding,no-pty <hostkey>

These options specify that port forwarding times out after 8 hours, ports are not forwarded from the server to the clientand a pty terminal is not allocated.

3.

Further disable shell access by invalidating users' shell accounts in /etc/passwd.4.


http://www.openssh.com/

http://www.linuxsecurity.com/docs/colsfaq.html







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The VMware Guest Operating System Service

When you install VMware Tools in a virtual machine, the VMware guestoperating system service is one of the primary components installed. The guestservice can do the following:

Execute commands in the virtual machine when it is requested to halt orreboot the guest operating system.

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Gracefully power off and reset a virtual machine.●

Send a heartbeat to ESX Server so that it knows the guest operatingsystem is running.

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Synchronize the time of the guest operating system with the time in theconsole operating system.

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Pass a string from the console operating system to the guest operatingsystem.

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The guest service starts automatically when you boot the guest operatingsystem.

In a Windows guest, the guest service program file is calledVMwareService.exe. For help information, right-click the VMware Toolsicon in the system tray and choose Help.

In a Linux guest, the guest service is called vmware-guestd. To displayhelp about the guest service, including a list of all options, use the followingcommand:/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --help

Synchronizing the Time Between the Guest and Console Operating Systems

The guest service can synchronize the date and time between the guest andconsole operating systems once every second. In the VMware Tools controlpanel, on the Other tab (Options in a Linux guest), select Time synchronizationbetween the virtual machine and the host operating system.



















In addition, the guest service can synchronize the date and time between theguest and console operating systems in response to various system events -- forexample, when you resume from disk. You can disable this in theconfiguration file by settingtime.synchronize.resume.disk = FALSE

Gracefully Powering Off or Resetting a Virtual Machine

You can have ESX Server ask the guest service to gracefully power off or reseta virtual machine. After the guest service receives a request to power off orreset, it sends an acknowledgment back to ESX Server.

You can send these requests from the Web-based management interface or theconsole operating system's command line.

Whether it is possible to gracefully power off or reset a virtual machinedepends on the state of the virtual machine.

Gracefully Powering Off or Resetting a Virtual Machine from theWeb-Based Management Interface

You can click to gracefully power off or to gracefully reset a virtualmachine from the Web-based management interface. These operations are alsoavailable from the menu that appears when you hold your mouse over theterminal icon ( ). After you select one of these operations, you should clickto the Event Log page for this virtual machine to respond to any messages thatrequire a response.

If you receive an event log message saying, "You will need to power off orreset the virtual machine at this point," you must connect to the virtual machinewith a remote console and click the power off or reset button to complete theoperation.

The power off and reset commands are not available while these operations arein progress.

You can also force power off or force reset from the menu. These commandsbypass the guest service and perform the virtual equivalent of shutting off thepower to the machine or pressing the reset button.

Gracefully Powering Off or Resetting a Virtual Machine from theCommand Line

You can gracefully reset and power off a virtual machine from the consoleoperating system command line using the vmware-control program.

The following commands return you to the command prompt immediately,before they finish executing, although the power off or reset may take sometime to complete:

vmware-control/<path_to_config_file>/<configfile>.cfgrequest_stop

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vmware-control/<path_to_config_file>/<configfile>.cfgrequest_reset

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Executing Commands When ESX Server Requests the Guest Service to Halt orReboot a Virtual Machine

In a Linux guest, you can have the guest service execute specific commandswhen ESX Server asks it to halt or reboot the virtual machine's guest operatingsystem. If you use nonstandard utilities, or want to do additional things beforeshutting down or rebooting the guest operating system, you can override thedefault commands the guest service executes by modifying the/etc/vmware/dualconf.vm startup script in the guest to start the guestservice with the following command line options:

/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --halt-command <command>where <command> is the command to execute when ESX Server asks theguest service to halt the guest operating system

/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --reboot-command <command>where <command> is the command to execute when ESX Server asks theguest service to reboot the guest operating system

Passing a String from the Console Operating System to the Guest OperatingSystem

With ESX Server and knowledge of a scripting language like Perl or NetShell(in a Windows 2000 guest operating system), you can pass a string from yourvirtual machine's configuration file to the guest operating system when you usethe configuration file to launch a virtual machine. This string is known asmachine.id. The content of the string you pass to the guest operatingsystem is up to you.

You should use this feature only if you have a good understanding of ascripting language and know how to modify system startup scripts.

Example

If you use multiple configuration files that point to the same virtual disk, eachconfiguration file can contain its own unique machine.id line.<config_file_1>.cfg contains:

scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.dsk" scsi0:1.mode = "persistent" machine.id = "the_id_for_my_first_vm"

<config_file_2>.cfg contains:

scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.dsk" scsi0:1.mode = "persistent" machine.id = "the_id_for_my_second_vm"

Using machine.id, you may pass such strings as the Windows system ID(SID), a machine name or an IP address. In the guest operating system startupscript, you may then have the guest service retrieve this string, which can thenbe used by your script to set your virtual machine's system ID, machine nameor IP address.

In the following example, we use a Linux guest to illustrate how you can usethe guest service to retrieve a string containing what will become the virtualmachine's machine name and IP address. We use RedHat62VM as the machinename and 148.30.16.24 as the IP address.

Define the machine.id string. Add the following line to your virtualmachine's configuration file:

machine.id = "RedHat62VM 148.30.16.24"

Then launch a virtual machine using this configuration file.

1.

Retrieve the machine.id string in the virtual machine. In your systemstartup script, before the network startup section, add the followingcommand:

/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'

Note: in a Windows guest, the command to retrieve the string is

VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get

You need to further customize this startup script so it uses the string theguest service retrieved during startup to set the virtual machine'snetwork name to RedHat62VM and its IP address to 148.30.16.24. Thisshould be located in the script before the network services are started. Ifyou're using a Windows 2000 guest operating system, for example, youcan call the NetShell utility (netsh) and pass it the contents of thestring, which it can then use appropriately (that is, it can set a new IPaddress for the virtual machine, if that is what was passed in the stringoriginally).

2.

From your console operating system, you can prevent the console operatingsystem from passing a string to the guest operating system via the guestservice. To do this, set the following line in your virtual machine'sconfiguration file.isolation.tools.machine.id.get.disable = TRUE








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File System Management on SCSI Disks and RAID

To create and manipulate files on SCSI disks managed byVMware ESX Server, use vmkfstools. It supports the creation of aVMware ESX Server file system (VMFS) on a SCSI disk orpartition and the management of files stored in the VMFS. It isuseful for storing multiple virtual disk images on a single SCSIdisk or partition of a SCSI disk.

The format for the command is

vmkfstools <options> <device>[:<file>]

The vmkfstools command is issued with a device specificationand one or more options.

<device> specifies a SCSI device (a SCSI disk or a partition ona SCSI disk) being manipulated and <options> specifies theoperation to be performed.

<device> is specified in a form such as:

vmhba1:2:0:3

Here, vmhba1 specifies the second SCSI adapter activated by thevmkload_mod .../XXX.o vmhba command. The secondnumber specifies the target on the adapter, the third numberspecifies the LUN (logical unit number) and the fourth numberspecifies the partition. If the partition number is zero, the wholedisk is implied; otherwise, the indicated partition is specified.

<file> is the name of a file stored in the file system on thespecified device.

Options

The long and short forms of options, shown together in this list,are equivalent.

-C --createfs-b --blocksize #[mMkK]-n --numfiles #Create a file system on the specified SCSI device. The file block



















size can be specified via the -b option. The default file block sizeis 1MB. The maximum number of files in the file system can bespecified with the -n option. The default maximum is 64 files.

-N --consolenamePrint out the name of a Linux device that represents the specifiedSCSI device on the console operating system. The resulting devicename can be used in accessing the SCSI device via commandssuch as fdisk on the console operating system. The associationbetween the Linux device name and the specified SCSI devicelasts only until the VMware ESX Server is unloaded or themachine is rebooted.

-c --createfile #[mMkK]Create a file with the specified size on the file system of thespecified SCSI device. The size is specified in bytes by default, butit can be specified in kilobytes or megabytes by adding a suffix ofk or m respectively.

-e --exportfile <dstFile>Export the contents of the specified file on the specified SCSIdevice to a virtual disk on the file system of the console operatingsystem. The virtual disk may then be transferred to anothermachine and imported to a SCSI device on the remote machine.Hence the combination of exportfile and importfile maybe used for copying images of raw SCSI disks to remote machines.The virtual disk will likely take less space than the full size of theraw disk, since the virtual disk does not include zeroed sectors ofthe disk.

-d --copyfile <srcFile> or-i --importfile <srcFile>Import the contents of a VMware virtual, plain, or raw disk on thehost to the specified file on the specified SCSI device. Thiscommand is often used to import the contents of a VMwareWorkstation virtual disk onto a SCSI device. It may also be used toimport a virtual disk that was created by exporting the contents ofa disk from another SCSI device. The complete contents of thesource disk are copied, even if it is mostly free space, so thedestination device must have space for the entire size of the virtualdisk.

-E --exportraw <dstFile>Export the contents of the specified file on the specified SCSIdevice in raw form to a file on the file system of the consoleoperating system. This command differs from exportfile inthat it copies the source file exactly, rather than creating a virtualdisk. Since the console operating system has a maximum file sizeof 2GB, this command is not useful for large disk images; useexportfile instead. However, exportraw is useful fordistributing incremental updates to a disk image. If the disk imageis used in undoable mode, then a redo log file is created. The nameof that file is derived by appending .REDO to the name of theassociated disk image file. The redo log contains the incrementalchanges to the disk image. The contents of the redo log can becopied to the file system of the console operating system using theexportraw command. The redo log can then be transported to aremote site and copied to the SCSI disk that contains a copy of theoriginal disk image with the importraw command. The contents

of the redo log can then be merged into the copy of the disk imageusing the commit command.

-I --importraw <srcFile>Import the exact contents of the specified file on the consoleoperating system to the specified file on the specified SCSI device.This command differs from importfile in that it copies thesource file exactly. As explained in the discussion of exportrawabove, the combination of exportraw and importraw isuseful for distributing incremental updates to a disk image.

-l --listList the files on the file system on the specified device, includingtheir sizes.

-r --removefileRemove the specified file from the file system on the specifieddevice.

-m --commitCommit the redo log of the specified file, making the associatedchanges permanent. The redo log is created when a file is used inundoable mode via a virtual machine. The name of the redo log isderived by appending .REDO to the name of the file that containsthe base disk image. The changes to the disk that are stored in theredo log can either be committed using the commit option oreliminated by removing the redo file using the remove option.

-S --setfsname <fsName>Set the name of the VMFS file system on the specified SCSIdevice to <fsName>. This name can then be used to specify aVMFS file in subsequent vmkfstools commands or in a virtualmachine configuration file. The name will also appear in a listingproduced by vmkfstools -l.

Examples

vmkfstools -C -b 2m -n 32 vmhba1:3:0:1Create a new file system on the first partition of target 3, LUN 0 ofSCSI adapter 1. The file block size is 2MB, and the maximumnumber of files is 32.

vmkfstools -S mydisk vmhba1:3:0:1Give the name of mydisk to the new file system.

vmkfstools -c 2000m mydisk:rh6.2.dskCreate a 2GB VMFS file with the name of rh6.2.dsk on theVMFS file system named mydisk. This file represents an emptydisk and may be accessed by a virtual machine.

vmkfstools -r vmhba0:2:0:1:file2Remove the file named file2 in the file system on target 2,partition 1 of SCSI adapter 0.

vmkfstools -i ~/vms/nt4.dskvmhba0:2:0:0:nt4.dskCopy the contents of a virtual disk (that contains Windows NT4.0) from the host file system to a file named nt4.dsk on target2 of SCSI adapter 0. A virtual machine can be configured to use

this virtual disk by adding lines to its configuration file in thefollowing format:

scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogicscsi0:0.present = TRUEscsi0:0.name = scsi0:2:0:0:nt4.dsk

vmkfstools -l vmhba0:2:0:0List the contents of the file system on target 2 of SCSI adapter 0.

Naming VMFS File Systems

If you create a VMFS file system on a SCSI disk or partition, youcan give a name to that file system and use that name whenspecifying VMFS files on that file system. For instance, supposeyou have a VMFS file system on the SCSI partitionvmhba0:3:0:1 and have created a VMFS file nt4.dsk. Youcan name that file system via a vmkfstools commands such as:

vmkfstools -S mydisk vmhba0:3:0:1

You can then refer to the nt4.dsk file as mydisk:nt4.dsk(instead of vmhba0:3:0:1:nt4.dsk) in a virtual machineconfiguration file and in other vmkfstools commands. NamingVMFS file systems is especially useful if you may be adding SCSIadapters or disks to your system, in which case the actual disk andtarget numbers specifying a particular VMFS may change, but thename will stay the same.

Mounting VMFS File Systems on the Console Operating System

VMFS file systems are automatically mounted in the /vmfsdirectory on the console operating system when the VMkernel isloaded during boot-up. The mount-vmfs script may be usedmanually to mount new VMFS file systems. The reverse operation(unmounting all VMFS partitions) can be performed by executingthe umount-vmfs script.

Although mounted VMFS file systems may appear similar to anyother file system such as ext2, VMFS is only intended to storelarge files such as disk images. Unfortunately, the consoleoperating system (which is based on a Linux 2.2 kernel) does notcurrently support files greater than 2GB. NFS and scp are knownto run into this limitation, while FTP and cp are not affected by it.Thus, you should use FTP and cp for copying files to and from aVMS file system.

For more information, see VMware ESX Server Utility to MountVMFS File Systems.








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Utility to Mount VMFS File Systems

mount-vmfs is a program that mounts all VMFS (VMware ESXServer File System) file systems. It is useful for automaticallymounting all partitions with valid VMFS file systems on theconsole operating system.

mount-vmfs does not take any arguments. It checks every SCSIdevice available to virtual machines for valid file systems. If avalid file system is found, mount-vmfs will mount it at/vmfs/vmhba<a>:<t>:<l>:, where <a> specifies theSCSI adapter number, <t> specifies the SCSI target, <l> specifiesthe LUN (logical unit number) and specifies the disk partition.If the disk has no partitions and the disk has a valid file system, will be zero.

If a partition has an associated file system name (vmkfstools-S), then mount-vmfs will also create a symbolic link from/vmfs/<fsname> to the corresponding mount point(/vmfs/vmhba<a>:<t>:<l>:).

The reverse operation -- unmounting all VMFS partitions -- can beperformed by executing the umount-vmfs script.

mount-vmfs calls the regular mount command to actuallymount the disks. The file system type is vmfs and the device nameis obtained by calling vmkfstools -Nvmhba<a>:<t>:<l>:. For example, mount-vmfs wouldcall mount -t vmfs 'vmkfstools -N vmhba0:1:0:2'/vmfs/vmhba0:1:0:2 in order to mount partition 2 of the diskwith target 1 on the adapter vmhba0.

Although VMFS file systems may appear similar to any other filesystem such as ext2, VMFS is only meant to store large files suchas disk images. It does not support directory hierarchies. New filesystems can be created using vmkfstools -C.

The reported file length of all VMFS files (disk images) is 512bytes longer than the disk image. The additional 512 bytes containcertain file attributes such as the size of the disk image representedby the file. VMFS files that are not disk images do not incur this512-byte overhead.



















Limitations

Disk images tend to be large. Unfortunately, the console operatingsystem does not support files greater than 4GB, and there is onlylimited functionality for files between 2GB and 4GB. The file sizefield of the stat system call has only 32 bits, therefore stat willreturn incorrect information for files equal to or bigger than 4GB.For such files, VMFS returns 4GB-1 as the file size in the statsystem call. NFS and scp are known to run into this limitation,while FTP and cp are not affected by it. We provide a modified lsbinary that uses a special interface into VMFS to report the correctfile size.

Currently, VMFS does not support flexible file permissions. Allfiles are owned and writable by root and readable by other users.Also, VMFS file names are currently limited to 128 bytes.

For Further Information

VMware ESX Server File System Management on SCSI Disks








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Determining SCSI Target IDs

In order to assign SCSI drives to a virtual machine, you need to know which controller the drive is onand what the SCSI target ID of the controller is. This section can help you determine these valueswithout opening your computer and physically looking at the SCSI target ID settings on the drives.

On a standard Linux system, or for a VMware Console Operating System that has SCSI controllersassigned to the console operating system rather than the VMkernel, information on attached SCSIdevices, including SCSI target IDs is available in the boot log (usually /var/log/messages), orfrom examining /proc/scsi/scsi.

Information about the SCSI controllers assigned to the VMkernel and about the devices attached tothese controllers is available in the /proc/vmware/scsi directory once the VMkernel and theVMkernel device module(s) for the SCSI controller(s) have been loaded.

Each entry in the /proc/vmware/scsi directory corresponds to a SCSI controller assigned to theVMkernel. For example, if you issued a vmkload_mod command with the base name vmhba and asingle SCSI controller was found, you would see this:

# ls -l /proc/vmware/scsi total 0 dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 0 Jun 22 12:44 vmhba0

Each SCSI controller's subdirectory contains entries for the SCSI devices on that controller,numbered by SCSI target ID and LUN (logical unit number). Run cat on each target ID:LUN pair toget information about the device with that target ID and LUN. For example:

# cat /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/1:0 Vendor: SEAGATE Model: ST39103LW Rev: 0002 Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02 Size: 8683 Mbytes Queue Depth: 28

Partition Info: Block size: 512 Num Blocks: 17783240

num: Start Size Type 4: 1 17526914 fb

Partition 0: VM 11 Commands 2 Kbytes read 0 Kbytes written 0 Commands aborted 0 Bus resets 0 Partition 4:



















Commands 336 Kbytes read 857 Kbytes written 488 Commands aborted 0 Bus resets 0

This information should help you determine the SCSI target ID to use in the virtual machineconfiguration file, as detailed in Configuring Virtual Machines on VMware ESX Server.








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Preliminary Notes on the Perl API

These preliminary notes describe the Perl API that you can use to interact with a virtual machinerunning under VMware ESX Server. The notes are divided into three sections.

VMware::Control - interface for controlling VMware server products, both locally and remotely●

VMware::Control::Server - programmatically manipulate a server running VMware virtualmachines

●

VMware::Control::VM - a Perl module for controlling VMware virtual machines●

Each section includes sample code and a brief discussion.

VMware::Control

Code Sample

use VMware::Control;

$ver = VMware::Control::version();

Description

The VMware::Control package and its subpackages provide the ability to enumerate, query, andcontrol the virtual machines running on a given host.

CAUTION: This API is preliminary and will change significantly between this beta and the finalrelease version.

Error Codes

(This section is not yet complete.)

VMware::Control::VM_E_SUCCESSThe operation succeeded.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NETFAILA network failure or misconfiguration prevented the operation from completing.

VMware::Control::VM_E_INVALIDARGSThe arguments specified are not valid for this operation.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOACCESSThe operation could not be completed because of an access violation (a permissions problem).

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOTCONNECTEDAn operation was attempted on a disconnected $vm.

VMware::Control::VM_E_DISCONNECTThe network connection to the virtual machine was lost.

VMware::Control::VM_E_BADVERSION



















The version of the VMware::Control module and the VMware server product are notcompatable.

VMware::Control::VM_E_TIMEOUTThe operation timed out.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOCREATEFailure to create a virtual machine.

VMware::Control::VM_E_ALREADYCREATEDVirtual machines are instantiated with configuration files. This error is returned if a virtualmachine instance for this configuration file aleady exists.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOFILEThe indicated file did not exist.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOSUCHVMThe indicated virtual machine does not exist.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOPROPERTYThe desired property does not exist.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOSETThe indicated property can not be set with the Set or SSet method.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NOPERSISTThe indicated property can not be persisted.

VMware::Control::VM_E_OUTOFBOUNDSThe desired property value was out of bounds and could not be set. The property, low, and highbounds, if known, are returned in the VMware::Control::GetLastError()information.

VMware::Control::VM_E_BADSTATEAn attempt was made to restore a virtual machine that was not suspended, to power on a virtualmachine that was already powered on, etc.

VMware::Control::VM_E_NEEDINPUTThe operation did not complete because the virtual machine is stuck waiting for user input (forexample, there is a question that needs to be answered).

VMware::Control::Server

Code Sample

use VMware::Control::Server;

# Connect to a remote machine $server = VMware::Control::Server::new("vmware.companyX.com", 902, $username, $password); $err = $server->connect();

# Connect to the local machine as the current user $server = VMware::Control::Server::new(); $err = $server->connect(); if (!defined($err)) { ($errorNumber, $errorString) = $server->get_last_error(); }

@vm_identifiers = $server->enumerate();

$server->disconnect();

Description

This package provides an interface for connecting to a VMware server product and listing the virtualmachines available on the server.

CAUTION: This API is preliminary and will change significantly between this Beta and the finalrelease version.

(This package in particular is far from complete -- future versions will provide more access toinformation about the server and more control over the server.)

VMware::Control::Server::new($hostname, $port, $username, $password)Connects to the given host and network port and authenticates with the supplied user name andpassword. If $hostname is not given or undef, the authentication is performed for the localmachine. In this case, the username and password are optional: if they are not supplied, thecurrent user is authenticated to VMware. (Otherwise, a user name and password may still besupplied to authenticate as a different user.)

$server->connect()Attempt to establish a conection to the server.

$server->get_last_error()When a method fails (that is, returns undef), this method will return the error codecorresponding to the failure, along with a string description (often with more specific errorinformation).

$server->enumerate()This method enumerates the virtual machines on the server, and returns a list of virtual machineidentifiers. Given a VM_IDENTIFIER, a virtual machine object can be created usingVMware::Control::VM. The results are not returned in any particular order.

$server-enumerate> only returns identifiers for virtual machines for which you haveappropriate access rights. Thus it is possible that enumerate will not return a complete list of thevirtual machines on the current machine.

Returns a list of VM_IDENTIFIERS.

$server->disconnect()Close the connection to the server.

VMware::Control::VM

Code Sample

use VMware::Control::VM;

$vm = VMware::Control::VM::new($server, $vm_identifier); $err = $vm->connect(); if (!defined($err)) { ($errorNumber, $errorString) = $vm->get_last_error(); }

$ret = $vm->start();

$ret = $vm->stop();

$ret = $vm->reset();

$ret = $vm->suspend_to_disk();

%info = %{ $vm->info() };

$value = $vm->get("Status.power");

$value = $vm->get("Config.log.filename");

$vm->disconnect();

Description

This packages provides an interface for interacting with a VMware virtual machine. Information aboutthe configuration and status of the machine can be queried.

CAUTION: This API is preliminary and will change significantly between this Beta and the finalrelease version.

VMware::Control::VM::new($server, $vm_id)Establish a connection to the specified virtual machine on the specified server. ValidVM_IDENTIFIERs can be obtained using the VMware::Control::Server::enumerate method.

$vm->connect()Attempt to establish a connection to the specified virtual machine on the server.

$vm->get_last_error()When a method fails (that is, returns undef), this method will return the error codecorresponding to the failure, along with a string description (often with more specific errorinformation).

$vm->start()Start (power on) the virtual machine.

$vm->stop()Stop (power off) the virtual machine.

$vm->reset()Reset (power off and on) the virtual machine.

$vm->suspend_to_disk()Suspend the virtual machine to disk.

$vm->info()Given a virtual machine identifier, this allows us to get more detailed information on the virtualmachine.

This function returns a list of property-value pairs (that is, a hash) so as to be self describing andextensible. An example return value might be ("Config.filename", "biff.cfg","Config.name", "biff", "Config.guestOS", "Novell","Config.memorySize", 512). Nothing is available in the info data that isn't availablevia the get method, it's just a little simpler to use info.

(Eventually, the set of information returned by info will be customizable by modifying theConfig.infoValues property.)

The info< method is designed to simplify quick status summaries.

Returns a list of property values pairs.

$vm->get(PROPERTY_NAME)Get a property from a virtual machine.

$vm->disconnect()This disconnects from the remote virtual machine.

Name Space for Properties

The name space for properties is divided into four top-level domains. The Config.* domain containsall settings and parameters and is logically equivalent to the configuration database. TheServerStatus.* and Status.* domains contain status and performance information for theserver and specific virtual machines respectively. The Server.* domain describes the globalconfiguration information for the server.

Variables

The Config.* name space models the existing configuration database. For example,

$vm->get("Config.ethernet0.present", $foo) would set $foo to TRUE if ethernet0was present.

Status

The Status.* name space returns information on the state of the virtual machine and alsoperformance information. The ServerStatus.* name space returns information on the state of theserver and also performance information. Both name spaces are read-only.

A lot more definition work will happen here, but as an example, Status.power has a value in theset ("on", "off", "suspended"). Performance and statistical information is also available viathe Status.stats.* namespace, although this is not yet well defined.








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How the System Uses Memory

If you are planning to deploy virtual machines on physical servers,you need to know how much memory to install in a server tosupport the virtual machines that will be running there.

This note describes how to account for the memory sizes ofVMware ESX Server components and the memory required forvirtual machines. As you will see, you must allow a certain amountof memory for overhead. However, it is also possible to"overcommit" the physical memory in your system -- takingadvantage of the fact that for much of the time it is running, avirtual machine is likely to use only part of the memory allocatedto it.

Overhead

Memory allocated to the console operating system is not availablefor other uses. The recommended size for the console operatingsystem in a default configuration is 80MB. This is an appropriatesize for up to four virtual machines.

Memory dedicated to the VMkernel is not available for other uses.In the current release, the VMkernel consumes approximately8MB.

Each virtual machine requires additional memory forvirtualization, the frame buffer and various other overhead uses. Inthe current release, this overhead is 32MB per virtual machine.

Example: A Single Virtual Machine

Suppose a system has 512MB of physical RAM. Subtract the fixedoverhead for both the console operating system (80MB) and theVMkernel (8MB). This leaves 424MB for running virtualmachines. Subtract the overhead of 32MB per virtual machine, andthe maximum size for a new virtual machine would be 392MB.

Dynamic Memory Allocation and Overcommitment

VMware ESX Server provides dynamic control over the amount ofphysical memory allocated to each virtual machine. Memory maybe overcommitted, if you wish, so that the total size configured forall running virtual machines exceeds the total amount of available



















physical memory.

To enable overcommitment and dynamic control over virtualmachine sizes, ESX Server provides support for expanding orcontracting the amount of memory allocated to running virtualmachines. A VMware-supplied vmmemctl driver module must beloaded into the guest operating system running in each virtualmachine to support dynamic memory allocation. Drivers arecurrently provided for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Linuxguests. They are automatically installed as part of the VMwareTools installation procedure.

Three basic parameters control the allocation of memory to eachvirtual machine:

Its minimum size -- min●

Its maximum size -- max●

Its shares allocation●

A virtual machine's use of physical memory is always bounded byits configured minimum and maximum sizes, regardless ofwhether or not vmmemctl is installed and running. The systemautomatically allocates memory for each virtual machine based ontwo factors: the number of shares it has been given and an estimateof its recent working set size.

Even when memory is overcommitted, each virtual machine isguaranteed to receive an amount of physical memory at least aslarge as its specified minimum size. The maximum size for avirtual machine must also be specified in its configuration file. Themaximum size is the amount of memory configured for use by theguest operating system running in the virtual machine. By default,virtual machines operate at their maximum allocation, unlessmemory is overcommitted. The system limits the maximum size ofa virtual machine based on its minimum size and the systemwideMemMaxOvercommit parameter. With the default maximumovercommitment level of 100 percent, the maximum size may beno greater than twice the minimum size.

For additional details, please see VMware ESX Server MemoryResource Management.

Example: Multiple Virtual Machines

Suppose a system has 512MB of physical RAM. Subtract the fixedoverhead for both the console operating system (80MB) and theVMkernel (8MB). This leaves 424MB for running virtualmachines. Account for the 32MB overhead per virtual machine,and the maximum size for a single new virtual machine would be392MB.

Suppose that a 256MB virtual machine named A is started. A'smaximum size is set to 256MB. Unless otherwise configured, itsminimum size defaults to half of its maximum size, or 128MB.

If virtual machine A has not yet started its vmmemctl driver --because it is still booting or because VMware Tools has not beeninstalled -- the maximum memory available for starting additionalvirtual machines is the original 424MB minus the memory used byA (256MB + 32MB overhead = 288MB). This leaves 136MBavailable for running additional virtual machines. Accounting for

the 32MB overhead for a virtual machine, the maximum size for anew virtual machine would be 104MB.

However, once virtual machine A has booted and its vmmemctldriver has started, the system is able to dynamically reclaim128MB from A. This changes the total memory available forrunning additional virtual machines to 136MB + 128MB =264MB, or 232MB after adjusting for the overhead per virtualmachine.

Starting a new virtual machine B that is larger than 104MB wouldbe overcommitting physical memory. Assuming that B also startsits vmmemctl driver, the system will automatically allocatememory between the two virtual machines dynamically, based ontheir memory share allocations and an estimate of their recentworking set sizes.

Finally, suppose that a 202MB virtual machine B is started. Thetotal memory available for running additional virtual machinesthen becomes the previous total of 264MB minus the memory usedby B (202MB + 32MB overhead = 234MB), leaving 30MBavailable for running additional virtual machines. Because this isless than the 32MB overhead per virtual machine, no additionalvirtual machines can be started.

However, once B has booted and its vmmemctl driver has started,the system is able to dynamically reclaim 101MB from B. Thischanges the total memory available for running additional virtualmachines to 32MB + 101MB = 133MB, or 101MB after adjustingfor the overhead per virtual machine.

The current release also supports an experimentalMemRelaxAdmit option that can be used to reduce the amountof reserved memory required to start a new virtual machine. Seethis technical note for more details.

Querying System Information

The computations described in the preceding section are performedautomatically and may be viewed by reading the procfs node/proc/vmware/mem on the console operating system.

cat /proc/vmware/mem

In particular, this report lists the maximum size for a new virtualmachine as Maximum new VM size. The current release doesnot report this information via the Web-based managementinterface.

To see more detailed information, including the current allocationsfor all running virtual machines, read the procfs node/proc/vmware/sched/mem on the console operating system.

cat /proc/vmware/sched/mem

In addition, the Web-based management interface displays a usefulsubset of this information on the Monitor Resources page.








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Memory Resource Management

VMware ESX Server provides dynamic control over the amount of physical memory allocated to each virtualmachine. Memory may be overcommitted, if you wish, so that the total size configured for all running virtualmachines exceeds the total amount of available physical memory. Three basic parameters control theallocation of memory to each virtual machine: its minimum size, its maximum size, and its shares allocation.

You can manage the memory resources on a server from the Web-based management interface or from theconsole operating system's command line.

Static Partitioning

To statically partition physical memory across virtual machines, simply specify the maximum size of eachvirtual machine exactly. The maximum size is the amount of memory configured for use by the guestoperating system running in the virtual machine, and must be specified as memsize in its configuration file.For such manual allocations, no other parameters need to be set.

Flexible Partitioning

VMware ESX Server also supports flexible partitioning of memory across virtual machines. This is usefulwhen the total number of virtual machines or the memory needed by each virtual machine for optimumperformance varies over time. It also allows memory to be overcommitted, enabling more virtual machines torun than would be possible with a static partitioning.

To enable overcommitment and dynamic control over virtual machine sizes, support is provided for expandingor contracting the amount of memory allocated to running virtual machines. A VMware-supplied vmmemctlmodule must be loaded into the guest operating system running in each virtual machine that supports dynamicmemory allocation. It is installed as part of the VMware Tools package and loaded automatically whenVMware Tools starts.

The vmmemctl driver cooperates with the server to reclaim those pages that are considered least valuable bythe guest operating system. This proprietary technique provides predictable performance that closely matchesthe behavior of a native system under similar memory constraints.

When flexible partitioning is used, it is important to specify the minimum size of each virtual machinecarefully. Even when memory is overcommitted, each virtual machine is guaranteed to receive an amount ofphysical memory at least as large as its specified minimum size. The system refuses to start a virtual machineif there is insufficient memory available to reserve its minimum size. System administrators should typicallyconfigure the minimum virtual machine memory size to a level that will allow the virtual machine to runwithout excessive swapping or thrashing. The guest operating system running in the virtual machine must alsobe configured with sufficient swap space to store its dynamically reclaimed memory.

The maximum size for a virtual machine must also be specified in its configuration file; it is the amount ofmemory configured for use by the guest operating system running in the virtual machine. By default, virtualmachines operate at their maximum allocation unless memory is overcommitted. In general, it is reasonable tospecify the maximum size for a virtual machine to be considerably larger than its minimum size, allowing it toexploit additional system memory that may be available.

The system limits the maximum size of a virtual machine based on its minimum size and the systemwideMemMaxOvercommit parameter. With the default maximum overcommitment level of 100 percent, themaximum size may be no greater than twice the minimum size. Unless the optional minimum size parameteris explicitly specified, it will be set automatically to a fraction of the required maximum size, based on themaximum overcommitment level. The current release limits the overall level of memory overcommitment to a



















factor of three.

When memory is overcommitted, each virtual machine will be allocated an amount of memory somewherebetween its minimum and maximum sizes. The amount of memory granted to a virtual machine above itsminimum size is referred to as its flex allocation, representing a flexible allocation that may vary with thecurrent memory load. The system automatically determines flex allocations for each virtual machine based ontwo factors: the number of shares it has been given and an estimate of its recent working set size.

Shares entitle a virtual machine to a fraction of physical memory. For example, a virtual machine that hastwice as many shares as another is generally entitled to consume twice as much memory, subject to theirrespective minimum and maximum constraints. However, virtual machines that are not actively using theircurrently-allocated memory will automatically have their effective number of shares reduced. This is achievedby charging a virtual machine more for an idle page than for one that it is actively using. This prevents an idlevirtual machine from hoarding memory unless it has a very large number of shares.

The current release allows memory allocations to be specified and modified dynamically at any time using theWeb-based management interface or a simple procfs interface on the console operating system. Initial valuesfor a virtual machine may also be specified in its configuration file. Reasonable defaults are automaticallyused when parameters are not specified explicitly.

Using a Web browser, you may change settings from the Resource Editor page of the Web-based managementinterface. On the server's Overview page, click Manage Resources. The Resource Monitor page appears. Clickthe link under the name of the virtual machine for which you want to change settings. Enter the desiredsettings, then click Save Changes.

You must log in as root in order to change resource management settings using either the Web-based interfaceor procfs.

Allocating Memory

The console operating system commands to check or modify the memory allocation for a virtual machine usethe formats shown below.

memsize = <size>

This configuration file option specifies the maximum virtual machine size to be <size>MB.

sched.mem.minsize = <size>

This configuration file option specifies the guaranteed minimum virtual machine size to be <size>MB. Themaximum valid value for <size> is 100 percent of the specified maximum virtual machine size. Theminimum valid value for <size> depends on the systemwide MemMaxOvercommit parameter. By default,the minimum valid value for <size> is 50 percent of the specified maximum virtual machine size.

sched.mem.shares = <nshares>

This configuration file option specifies the initial memory share allocation for a virtual machine to be<nshares> shares. The valid range of values for <nshares> is 0 to 100000, enabling a large range ofallocation ratios. The default allocation is 10 times the maximum virtual machine size in megabytes.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/min

Reading from this file reports the minimum memory size in megabytes for the virtual machine identified by<id>.

Writing a number <size> to this file changes the minimum memory size for the virtual machine identifiedby <id> to <size>MB.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/shares

Reading from this file reports the number of memory shares allocated to the virtual machine identified by<id>.

Writing a number <nshares> to this file changes the number of memory shares allocated to the virtualmachine identified by <id> to <nshares>. The valid range of values for <nshares> is 0 to 100000. Notethat a value of zero shares will result in no flex memory allocation, causing the virtual machine memory sizeto be exactly equal to its specified minimum size, even if excess memory is available.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/status

Reading from this file reports current status information for the virtual machine identified by <id>, includingthe specified shares, minimum size and maximum size parameters, as well as the virtual machine name,

current status (static or dynamic), whether the virtual machine is currently waiting for memory to be reserved,current memory usage, current target size, memory overhead for virtualization and percentage of allocatedmemory actively in use. All memory sizes are reported in kilobytes.

/proc/vmware/sched/mem

Reading from this file reports the memory status information for all nonsystem virtual machines in the entiresystem, as well as several aggregate totals.

Writing the string realloc to this file causes an immediate memory reallocation. Memory is normallyreallocated periodically every <MemBalancePeriod> seconds.

/proc/vmware/mem

Reading from this file reports the total amount of memory that is available to be allocated, computed as thetotal amount of actual physical memory plus the total amount of flex memory that can be reclaimed fromrunning virtual machines.

/proc/vmware/config/MemMaxOvercommit

This ESX Server option specifies the maximum level of memory overcommitment, expressed as a percentage.For example, a value of 100 allows the system to run virtual machines with an aggregate maximum size 100percent larger than physical memory. This means that the total configured maximum sizes for all virtualmachines can be as large as twice the size of physical memory. The valid range for this option is 0 (usephysical memory only) to 200 (use up to three times the size of physical memory). The setting defaults to 100.

/proc/vmware/config/MemMinFree

This ESX Server option specifies the amount of memory, in megabytes, that the system should attempt to keepfree at all times in order to handle small allocation requests immediately. The setting defaults to 2MB.

/proc/vmware/config/MemLazyAlloc

This ESX Server option specifies whether or not the system must eagerly reclaim all memory reserved for avirtual machine before allowing it to start running. Lazy allocation is the default, allowing a virtual machine tostart running while the system reclaims memory as needed, reducing delays. Valid values for this option are 0(disabled) and 1 (enabled). This setting defaults to 1 (enabled).

/proc/vmware/config/MemZeroCompress

This ESX Server option specifies whether or not the system may reclaim from a virtual machine empty(zero-filled) pages that would otherwise block operations while waiting for sufficient memory to continueexecution. This is useful for ensuring that a virtual machine will have enough memory to reboot when memoryis heavily overcommitted.

When a virtual machine's guest operating system is booting, its vmmemctl driver has not yet been loaded,and although booting is not normally memory-intensive, some operating systems zero all available memoryduring the boot process.

Zero compression allows empty pages to be reclaimed automatically, even before vmmemctl is running.Valid values for this option are 0 (disabled) and 1 (enabled). This setting defaults to 1 (enabled).

/proc/vmware/config/MemRelaxAdmit

This experimental VMware ESX Server option relaxes the admission control policy for memoryovercommitment. When enabled, it allows a new virtual machine to be started if sufficient memory isavailable to reserve its explicitly-configured minimum size; normally enough memory must be available for itsmaximum size (see the cautions section below).

When this option and MemZeroCompress are both enabled, it should be possible to boot a large virtualmachine with a maximum size that exceeds available physical memory. Enabling this option without alsoenabling the MemZeroCompress option is strongly discouraged. Valid values for this option are 0(disabled) and 1 (enabled). This setting defaults to 0 (disabled).

/proc/vmware/config/MemDriverTimeout

This ESX Server option specifies the time period, in seconds, after which a warning is logged for a virtualmachine that has not yet started running vmmemctl. The valid range is 1-600 seconds, or 0 to disable. Thissetting defaults to 180 seconds.

/proc/vmware/config/MemBalancePeriod

This ESX Server option specifies the periodic time interval, in seconds, for automatic memory reallocations.

The setting defaults to 15 seconds.

/proc/vmware/config/MemSamplePeriod

This ESX Server option specifies the periodic time interval, measured in seconds of virtual machine time, overwhich memory activity is monitored in order to estimate working set sizes. The setting defaults to 30 seconds.

/proc/vmware/config/MemIdleCost

This ESX Server option specifies the amount charged to a virtual machine for idle pages, expressed as a ratioto the amount charged for actively used pages. The setting defaults to 4.

Examples

Suppose that we are interested in the memory allocation for the virtual machine with ID 204. To query thecurrent memory allocation information for virtual machine 204, simply read the file:

% cat /proc/vmware/vm/204/mem/status vm status wait shares min size %active target max overhd 204 dynamic no 1280 98304 124924 58 56 124924 131072 32768

This indicates that virtual machine 204 has a maximum size of 131,072KB (128MB), a minimum size of98,304KB (96MB), and a current size of approximately 124,924KB (122MB), since the overall system isslightly overcommitted. The virtual machine is also using an additional 32,768KB (32MB) because ofvirtualization overhead. The status reading of dynamic indicates that the virtual machine is running thevmmemctl driver to support dynamic memory allocation. The active percentages indicate the amount of itsallocated memory that the virtual machine was actively using during recent MemSamplePeriod intervals;the short-term estimate is 58 percent, with a longer-term average of 56 percent.

To reduce the minimum amount of memory allocated to virtual machine 204 and enable a greater level ofovercommitment, simply write the desired size to the min file, expressed in megabytes. Note that you needroot privileges in order to change memory allocations:

# echo 64 > /proc/vmware/vm/204/mem/min

The allocation change can be confirmed by reading the file again:

% cat /proc/vmware/vm/204/mem/min64

Cautions

Unless the MemRelaxAdmit option is explicitly enabled, the current release refuses to start a virtualmachine if there is insufficient memory available to initially reserve its maximum size (which may be up tothree times as large as its minimum size). This effectively reduces the maximum overall level of memoryovercommitment, although it is not very restrictive for systems running several virtual machines.

To avoid imposing too much load on guest operating systems, memory is reclaimed from each virtual machineat a conservative maximum rate of approximately 4MB/sec. Depending on the number of running virtualmachines and the overcommitment level, it may take up to several minutes to reclaim enough memory to starta large virtual machine.








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Dynamic Memory Management

VMware ESX Server uses the vmmemctl module to supportdynamic memory resource management. This note providesbackground on how vmmemctl works and describes limitationsof the feature in the current release.

Overview

VMware ESX Server provides dynamic control over the amountof physical memory allocated to each virtual machine. Memorymay be overcommitted, at the discretion of the administrator, sothat the total size configured for all running virtual machinesexceeds the total amount of available physical memory.

To enable memory overcommitment and dynamic control overvirtual machine sizes, VMware ESX Server provides support forexpanding or contracting the amount of memory allocated to eachrunning virtual machine. A VMware-supplied vmmemctl drivermodule must be loaded into the guest operating system running ineach virtual machine to support dynamic memory allocation.Drivers are currently provided for Windows NT, Windows 2000and Linux guests. They are automatically installed as part of theVMware Tools installation procedure and loaded automaticallywhen VMware Tools starts.

The vmmemctl driver cooperates with the server to reclaim thosepages of memory that are considered least valuable by the guestoperating system. This proprietary technique has severaladvantages. It provides predictable performance that closelymatches the behavior of a native system under similar memoryconstraints. Any paging or swapping that may be required isperformed directly by the guest operating system to its own virtualdisk storage, using its own native memory managementalgorithms.

Limitations and Issues

If the vmmemctl driver is not installed or not running in a virtualmachine, VMware ESX Server will be unable to control thatvirtual machine's size dynamically. Such a virtual machine willalways consume its maximum configured memory size, regardlessof its configured minimum size or memory shares parameters.



















There are two situations where this might occur.

Guest Operating System Boot or Reboot

When the guest operating system is booting, its vmmemctl driverhas not yet been loaded. Since booting is not memory-intensive,one might reasonably expect that the guest would not exceed itsconfigured minimum memory size during the boot process.However, some operating systems, such as Windows 2000, touchall of memory while booting. Once the boot process hascompleted, the vmmemctl driver can start reclaiming memoryimmediately, if necessary.

For this reason, the current release refuses to start a virtualmachine if there is insufficient memory available initially to allowit to reserve its configured maximum size (which may be up tothree times as large as its minimum size). This effectively reducesthe maximum level of memory overcommitment, although it is notvery restrictive for systems running several virtual machines.

See also the VMware ESX Server MemZeroCompress andMemRelaxAdmit configuration options, which may be enabledto avoid these limitations.

No vmmemctl driver

If the VMware tools installation is never performed, then thevmmemctl driver will not be installed in the guest operatingsystem. Similarly, a malicious user with root or Administratoraccess to a guest operating system could delete or otherwisedisable an installed vmmemctl driver, although once the driver isstarted, it cannot be unloaded without rebooting the guestoperating system.

Note that, in any case, a virtual machine's use of physical memoryis always bounded by its configured minimum and maximumsizes, regardless of whether vmmemctl is installed and running.However, it is possible for a virtual machine that is not runningvmmemctl to use more than its "fair share" of memory in anovercommitted system, since the server is unable to reduce thatvirtual machine's memory consumption below its configuredmaximum size.

The current release logs a warning for each virtual machine thathas not started running vmmemctl after a specified time. Thistimeout interval can be changed dynamically via the VMwareESX Server MemDriverTimeout configuration option.

Future releases may allow VMware ESX Server administrators tospecify what action to take if no vmmemctl driver is running, inaddition to logging a warning. Possible actions include suspendingthe virtual machine to disk or modifying its configuration file toautomatically reduce its maximum memory size the next time it ispowered on.

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Setting the MAC Address Manually for a Virtual Machine

VMware ESX Server automatically generates MAC addresses forthe virtual network adapters in each virtual machine. In most cases,these MAC addresses will be appropriate. However, there may betimes when you need to set a virtual network adapter's MACaddress manually -- for example:

You have more than 256 virtual network adapters on asingle physical server

●

Virtual network adapters on different physical servers sharethe same subnet and are assigned the same MAC address,causing a conflict

●

You want to ensure that a virtual network adapter willalways have the same MAC address

●

This document explains how VMware ESX Server generates MACaddresses and how you can set the MAC address for a virtualnetwork adapter manually.

How VMware ESX Server Generates MAC Addresses

Each virtual network adapter in a virtual machine gets its ownunique MAC address. ESX Server attempts to ensure that thenetwork adapters for each virtual machine that are on the samesubnet have unique MAC addresses. The algorithm used by ESXServer puts a limit on how many virtual machines can be runningand suspended at once on a given machine. It also does not handleall cases when virtual machines on distinct machines share asubnet.

A MAC address is a six-byte number. Each network adaptermanufacturer gets a unique three-byte prefix called an OUI --organizationally unique identifier -- that it can use to generateunique MAC addresses. VMware has OUIs -- one forautomatically generated MAC addresses and one for manually setaddresses. The VMware OUI for generated MAC addresses is0x00:0x50:0x56. Thus the first three bytes of the MAC addressthat is automatically generated for each virtual network adapterwill have this value. ESX Server then uses a MAC addressgeneration algorithm to produce the other three bytes. The



















algorithm guarantees unique MAC addresses within a machine andattempts to provide unique MAC addresses between ESX Servermachines.

The algorithm that ESX Server uses is the following:

When the algorithm generates the last 24 bits of the MACaddress, the first 16 bits are set to the same values as the last16 bits of the console operating system's primary IP address.

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The final eight bits of the MAC address are set to a hashvalue based on the name of the virtual machine'sconfiguration file.

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ESX Server keeps track of all MAC addresses that havebeen assigned to network adapters of running and suspendedvirtual machines on a given physical machine. ESX Serverensures that the virtual network adapters of all of thesevirtual machines will have unique MAC addresses.

●

The MAC address of a powered-off virtual machine is notremembered. Thus it is possible that when a virtual machineis powered on again it can get a different MAC address.

●

For example, if a machine had IP address 192.34.14.81 (or in hex,0xc0.0x22.0x0e.0x51) and the configuration file hashed to thevalue 0x95 the MAC address would have the following value:

0x00:0x50:0x56:0x0e:0x51:0x95

Since there are only eight bits that can vary for each MAC addresson an ESX Server machine, this puts a limit of 256 unique MACaddresses per ESX Server machine. This in turn limits the totalnumber of virtual network adapters in all powered-on andsuspended virtual machines to 256. This limitation can beeliminated by using the method described in the section SettingMAC Addresses Manually.

Note: The use of parts of the console operating system's IP addressas part of the MAC address is an attempt to generate MACaddresses that are unique across different ESX Server machines.However, there is no guarantee that different ESX machines withphysical network adapters that share a subnet will generatemutually exclusive MAC addresses.

Setting MAC Addresses Manually

In order to work around both the limit of 256 virtual networkadapters per physical machine and possible MAC address conflictsbetween virtual machines, the MAC addresses can be assignedmanually by system administrators. VMware uses a different OUIfor manually generated addresses: 0x00:0x50:0x56. The addressescan be set by adding the following line to a virtual machine'sconfiguration file:

ethernet0.address = 00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ

where XX is a valid hex number between 00h and 3Fh and YY andZZ are valid hex numbers between 00h and FFh. The value for XXmust not be greater than 0x3F in order to avoid conflict with MACaddresses that are generated by the VMware Workstation and

VMware GSX Server products. Thus the maximum value for amanually generated MAC address is

ethernet0.address = 00:50:56:3F:FF:FF

VMware ESX Server virtual machines do not support arbitraryMAC addresses, hence the above format must be used. So long asyou choose XX:YY:ZZ so it is unique among your hard-codedaddresses, conflicts between the automatically assigned MACaddresses and the manually assigned ones should never occur.








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The VMkernel Network Card Locator

When network interface cards are assigned to the VMkernel,sometimes it is difficult to map from the name of the VMkerneldevice to the physical network adapter on the machine.

For example, if there are four Intel EEPro cards in a machine andall are dedicated to the VMkernel, these four cards will end upbeing called vmnic0, vmnic1, vmnic2 and vmnic3. Thename of a card is based on its order in the PCI bus/slot hierarchyon the machine -- the lower the bus and slot, the lower the numberat the end of the name.

If you know the bus and slot order of the adapters, you can figureout which adapter has which name. However, if you don't, you canuse the findnic program to help you make the properassociation of network adapter to name.

The format of the command is

findnic <options> <nic_name> <local-ip><remote-ip>

The findnic program takes a VMkernel network device name,an IP address to give the device on the local machine and an IPaddress that findnic should try to ping. When you issue thecommand, findnic will ping the remote IP address.

This will allow you to determine which adapter is which bylooking at the LEDs on the cards to see which one is flashing orby seeing if the ping itself is successful.

Options

-f

Do a flood ping.

-i <seconds>

Interval in seconds between pings.



















Examples

findnic vmnic0 10.2.0.5 10.2.0.4

Binds VMkernel device vmnic0 to IP address 10.2.0.5 and thentries to ping the remote machine with the IP address 10.2.0.4.

findnic -f vmnic1 10.2.0.5 10.2.0.4

Binds VMkernel device vmnic1 to IP address 10.2.0.5 and thentries to flood ping the remote machine with the IP address10.2.0.4.








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VNetwork Bandwidth Management

VMware ESX Server supports network traffic shaping with thenfshaper loadable module. A loadable packet filter module defines afilter class; multiple filter instances may be active for each loadedclass. The current release supports only one filter class —-nfshaper, which is a transmit filter for outbound bandwidthmanagement that can be attached to virtual machines using either aprocfs interface or the Web-based management interface.

Using Network Filters

This section describes how to attach, detach and query filterinstances from the console operating system's command line. Youcan also use the Web-based management interface to attach anddetach nfshaper and obtain statistics from it.

/proc/vmware/filters/status

This file contains network filtering status information, including alist of all available filter classes and, for each virtual machine withattached filters, its list of attached filter instances. Read the file withcat to see a quick report on network filtering status.

/proc/vmware/filters/xmitpush

Command file used to add a new transmit filter instance to a virtualmachine. Writing <id> <class> [<args>] to this fileattaches a new instance of filter <class> instantiated with<args> to the virtual machine identified by <id>.

/proc/vmware/filters/xmitpop

Command file used to detach a transmit filter from a virtualmachine. Writing <id> to this file detaches the last filter attachedto the virtual machine identified by <id>.

/proc/vmware/filters/xmit

This directory contains a file for each active filter instance. Eachfile named <class.n> corresponds to the <n>th instance of filterclass <class>.

Reading from a file reports status information for the filter instancein a class-defined format. Writing to a file issues a command to the



















filter instance using a class-defined syntax.

Cautions

The current release allows only a single network packet filter to beattached to each virtual machine. This restriction will be removed ifVMware distributes multiple filter classes; currently the onlysupported filter class is the nfshaper traffic shaping module.

Receive filters are not yet implemented.

Traffic Shaping with nfshaper

You can manage network bandwidth allocation on a server from theWeb-based management interface or from the console operatingsystem's command line.

Using a Web browser, you may change settings from the ResourceEditor page of the Web-based management interface. Be sure thevirtual machine you want to change is powered on. Then, on theserver's Overview page, click Manage Resources. The ResourceMonitor page appears. Click the link under the name of the virtualmachine for which you want to change settings. Enter the desiredsettings, then click Save Changes.

You must log in as root in order to change resource managementsettings using either the Web-based interface or the command line.

The shaper implements a two-bucket composite traffic shapingalgorithm. A first token bucket controls sustained averagebandwidth and burstiness. A second token bucket controls peakbandwidth during bursts. Each nfshaper instance isparameterized by average bps, peak bps, and burst size. The procfsinterface described in Using Network Filters is used to attachnfshaper instances to virtual machines and detach them. Aseparate procfs entry is automatically created for each instance. Theprocfs entry can be read to query status information or written toissue dynamic commands.

The procfs interface described in Using Network Filters is used toattach an nfshaper instance to a virtual machine, detach an nfshaperinstance from a virtual machine, query the status of an nfshaperinstance, or issue a dynamic command to an active nfshaperinstance.

Commands

config <bpsAverage> <bpsPeak> <burstSize>[<periodPeak>]

Dynamically reconfigure the shaper to use the specified parameters:average bandwidth of <bpsAverage> bits per second, peakbandwidth of <bpsPeak> bits per second, maximum burst size of<burstSize> bytes, and an optional peak bandwidthenforcement period <periodPeak> in milliseconds. Eachparameter may optionally use the suffix k (1k = 1024) or m (1m =1024k).

maxq <nPackets>

Dynamically set the maximum number of queued packets to<nPackets>.

reset

Dynamically reset shaper statistics.

Examples

Suppose that you want to attach a traffic shaper to limit the transmitbandwidth of the virtual machine with ID 104. To create and attacha new shaper instance, issue an xmitpush command as describedin Using Network Filters. Note that root privileges are required toattach a filter.

# echo "104 nfshaper 1m 2m 160k" >/proc/vmware/filters/xmitpush

This attaches a traffic shaper with average bandwidth of 1Mbps,peak bandwidth of 2Mbps and maximum burst size of 160Kbps.

To find the number of the attached nfshaper instance, query thenetwork filtering status, which contains a list of all filters attachedto virtual machines:

% cat /proc/vmware/filters/status

Suppose the reported status information indicates that the filterattached to virtual machine 104 is nfshaper.2.104. The procfs nodefor this filter can be used to obtain status information:

% cat/proc/vmware/filters/xmit/nfshaper.2.104

The same procfs node can also be used to issue commandssupported by the nfshaper class. For example, you candynamically adjust the bandwidth limits by issuing a configcommand:

# echo "config 128k 256k 20k">/proc/vmware/filters/xmit/nfshaper.2.104

When a virtual machine is terminated, all attached network filtersare automatically removed and destroyed. To manually remove ashaper instance you can issue an xmitpop command as describedin Using Network Filters. Note that root privileges are required todetach a filter.

# echo "104" > /proc/vmware/filters/xmitpop








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Sharing Network Adapters and Virtual Networks

In many ESX Server configurations, there will be a clear distinctionbetween networking resources used by the virtual machines andthose used by the console operating system. This may be importantfor security reasons, for example -— isolating the managementnetwork from the network used by applications in the virtualmachines.

However, there may be times when you want to share resources,including physical network adapters and virtual networks.

This technical note provides instructions on sharing in bothdirections -- making the virtual machines' resources available to theconsole operating system and allowing virtual machines to share thenetwork adapter used by the console operating system.

This sharing is made possible by the vmxnet_console driver,which is installed with the console operating system.

We recommend that only advanced users make these configurationchanges. The steps below will be easier for someone who is familiarwith administering a Linux system.

Note: If you accidentally bring down the local loopback interfacewhile you are reconfiguring network devices, the Web-basedmanagement interface will not function properly. To bring it backup, use the commandifconfig lo up

Allowing the Console Operating System to Use the VirtualMachines' Devices

All network adapters used by virtual machines (that is, assigned tothe VMkernel) and virtual networks can be made accessible to theconsole operating system. Virtual networks -- identified asvmnet_<n> on the Edit Configuration page of the Web-basedmanagement interface -- provide high-speed connections amongvirtual machines on the same physical server.

To give the console operating system access to VMkernel networkadapters and virtual networks, you must install the



















vmxnet_console module. When you install it, you provide a listof VMkernel network adapters and virtual networks that thevmxnet_console module should attach to. For example, if theVMkernel had an adapter named vmnic1 and a virtual networknamed vnet_0, and you wanted to provide access to them fromthe console operating system, you would use the followingcommand to install the vmxnet_console module.

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1,vmnet_0

The devName parameter is a comma-separated list of names ofVMkernel network adapters and virtual networks.

When you install the module, it will add the appropriate number ofeth<n> devices on the console operating system in the order thatyou list the VMkernel netowrk adapter and virtual network namesafter the devName parameter. In the example above, if the consoleoperating system already had a network adapter named eth0, whenyou load vmxnet_console with vmnic1 and vmnet_0,vmnic1 will be seen as eth1 on the console operating system andvmnet_0 will be seen as eth2.

Once the eth<n> devices are created on the console operatingsystem, you can bring the interfaces up in the normal manner. Forexample, if you want the console operating system to use IP address10.2.0.4 for the network accessed via the vmnic1 adapter, use thefollowing command:

ifconfig eth1 up 10.2.0.4

If you want an easy way to see which eth<n> devices are addedby the insmod command, you can add the tagName parameter tothe insmod command, as shown in this example:

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1,vmnet0tagName=<tag>

In this case the vmxnet_console module will add the names ofeach of the eth<n> devices that it created to/var/log/messages. Each message will begin with the string<tag>. To figure out the names of the devices that were added, usethis command:

grep <tag> /var/log/messages

Starting Shared VMkernel Network Adapters and Virtual Networkswhen the Console Operating System Boots

There are two ways you can configure the console operating systemto start VMkernel network adapters when the console operatingsystem boots. The simpler case involves sharing a network adapterother than eth0. Sharing eth0 is more complicated and isdescribed later.

Continuing with the example from the previous section, you canappend the following lines to /etc/rc.d/rc.local:

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1,vmnet0 ifconfig eth1 up 10.2.0.4 ifconfig eth2 up 63.93.12.47

Another method is to set up the files/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1 and/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth2 withthe appropriate network information. And be sure the ONBOOT=line is ONBOOT=yes. The ifcfg-eth1 file for this examplewould be

DEVICE=eth1BOOTPROTO=staticBROADCAST=10.255.255.255IPADDR=10.2.0.4NETMASK=255.0.0.0NETWORK=10.0.0.0ONBOOT=yes

In this case, the lines you add to /etc/rc.d/rc.local wouldbe:

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1,vmnet0 ifup eth1 ifup eth2

Sharing the Console Operating System's Network Adapter withVirtual Machines

If you intend to share the adapter that is eth0 on the consoleoperating system, be careful as you implement the following steps.In order to configure ESX Server initally, you need to have anetwork connection. Once the initial configuration is set, you willmake several changes. At one point in the process, there will be nonetwork connection to the console operating system, and you willneed to work directly at the server.

When you first install and configure ESX Server, the VMkernel isnot loaded, so the console operating system needs to control thenetwork adapter that is eth0. When you configure ESX Server,assign the adapter that is eth0 to the console operating system.

Once you have completely configured ESX Server properly andrebooted, the VMkernel will be loaded. At that point, you need totake the following steps:

Edit /etc/conf.modules and comment out the line thatrefers to alias eth0.

If the original line isalias eth0 e100edit it to be# alias eth0 e100

This will disable eth0 on the console operating systemwhen it boots.

1.

Use the Web-based management interface to reconfigure theserver. Log in as root and go tohttp://<hostname>:8222/pcidivy, then click theEdit link for the configuration you want to change. Find thetable row that lists the Ethernet controller assigned to theconsole and click the radio button in the Virtual Machine

2.

column to reassign it.

Click Save Configuration, then reboot the machine whenprompted.

When the machine reboots, no network adapter will beassigned to the console operating system, so you must do thisstep at the server.

Add the appropriate lines to /etc/rc.d/rc.local. Forexample, if eth0 is the only network adapter that you intendto share between the VMkernel and the console operatingsystem, and if it will be named vmnic0 in the VMkernel,you would add the lines

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic0 ifup eth0

If you are unsure what name the VMkernel has assigned tothe network adapter that formerly was eth0 in the consoleoperating system, you can determine its name using thefindnic program.

3.

The next time you reboot the system, the network adapterwill be shared by the console operating system and the virtualmachines.

To begin sharing the network adapter without rebooting thesystem, you can manually issue the same commands youadded to /etc/rc.d/rc.local.

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic0ifup eth0

4.








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VMware ESX Server


CPU Resource Management

VMware ESX Server provides dynamic control over both theexecution rate and the processor assignment of each scheduledvirtual machine. The scheduler performs automatic load balancingon multiprocessor systems.

You can manage the CPU resources on a server from theWeb-based management interface or from the console operatingsystem's command line.

Proportional-share processor scheduling enables intuitive controlover execution rates. Each scheduled virtual machine is allocated anumber of shares that entitle it to a fraction of processor resources.For example, a virtual machine that is allocated twice as manyshares as another is entitled to consume twice as many CPU cycles.In general, a runnable virtual machine with S shares on a processorwith an overall total of T shares is guaranteed to receive at least afraction S/T of the processor CPU time.

For example, if you are running three virtual machines, each willstart with a default allocation of 1,000 shares. If you want to giveone virtual machine half the CPU time and give each of the othertwo virtual machines one-quarter of the CPU time, you can assign2,000 shares to the first virtual machine and leave the other two attheir default allocations. Since these share allocations are relative,the same effect may be achieved by giving 500 shares to the firstvirtual machine and 250 to each of the other two virtual machines.

An administrator can control relative CPU rates by specifying thenumber of shares allocated to each virtual machine. The systemautomatically keeps track of the total number of shares T.Increasing the number of shares allocated to a virtual machine willdilute the effective value of all shares by increasing T. Absoluteguarantees for minimum CPU rates can be specified by followingthe simple convention of limiting the total number of sharesallocated across all virtual machines. For example, if the totalnumber of shares is limited to 10,000 or less, each share representsa guaranteed minimum of at least 0.01 percent of processor CPUcycles.

The console operating receives 1,000 shares by default. In most



















cases, this should be an appropriate allocation, since the consoleoperating system should not be used for CPU-intensive tasks. If youdo find it necessary to adjust the console operating system'sallocation of CPU shares, you can use the procfs interface, asdescribed in this section. Or you can achieve a similar resultindirectly, using the Web-based management interface, by adjustingthe shares of the virtual machines running on the server so theconsole operating system's 1,000 shares represent a greater orsmaller proportion of the total.

Shares are not hard partitions or reservations, so underutilizedallocations are not wasted. Instead, inactive shares are effectivelyremoved from consideration, allowing active virtual machines tobenefit when extra resources are available.

In multiprocessor systems, an administrator can also restrict theassignment of virtual machines to a subset of the availableprocessors by specifying an affinity set for each virtual machine.The system will automatically assign each virtual machine to aprocessor in the specified affinity set in order to balance the numberof active shares across processors. If the affinity set contains only asingle processor, then the virtual machine will be placed there.

The current release allows CPU shares and affinity sets to bespecified and modified dynamically at any time using a simpleprocfs interface. Initial values for a virtual machine may also bespecified in its configuration file.

Settings may also be changed from the Resource Editor page of theWeb-based management interface. On the server's Overview page,click Manage Resources. The Resource Monitor page appears.Click the link under the name of the virtual machine for which youwant to change settings. Enter the desired settings, then click SaveChanges.

You must log in as root in order to change resource managementsettings using either the Web-based interface or procfs.

How It Works

sched.cpu.shares = <nshares>

This configuration file option specifies the initial share allocationfor a virtual machine to <nshares> shares. The valid range ofvalues for <nshares> is 1 to 100000, enabling a large range ofallocation ratios. The default allocation is 1,000 shares.

sched.cpu.affinity = <set>

This configuration file option specifies the initial processor affinityset for a virtual machine. If <set> is all or default, then theaffinity set contains all available processors. The specified set mayaltenatively be a comma-separated list of CPU numbers such as0,2,3.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/shares

Reading from this file reports the number of shares allocated to thevirtual machine identified by <id>.

Writing a number <nshares> to this file changes the number ofshares allocated to the virtual machine identified by <id> to

<nshares>. The valid range of values for <nshares> is 1 to100000.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/affinity

Reading from this file reports the number of each CPU in thecurrent affinity set for the virtual machine identified by <id>.

Writing a comma-separated list of CPU numbers to this file, suchas 0,2,3, changes the affinity set for the virtual machineidentified by <id>. Writing all or default to this file changesthe affinity set to contain all available processors.

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/status

Reading from this file reports current status information for thevirtual machine identified by <id>, including the specified sharesand affinity parameters, as well as the virtual machine name, state(running, ready, waiting), current CPU assignment, and cumulativeCPU usage in seconds.

/proc/vmware/sched/cpu.<n>

Reading from this file reports the status information for all activevirtual machines currently assigned to cpu number <n>, as well assome aggregate totals.

/proc/vmware/sched/cpu

Reading from this file reports the status information for all virtualmachines in the entire system.

/proc/vmware/config/CpuBalancePeriod

This VMware ESX Server option specifies the periodic timeinterval, in seconds, for automatic multiprocessor load balancingbased on active shares. Defaults to 1 second.

Examples

Suppose that we are interested in the CPU allocation for the virtualmachine with ID 103. To query the number of shares allocated tovirtual machine 103, simply read the file:

% cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares1000

This indicates that virtual machine 103 is currently allocated 1,000shares. To change the number of shares allocated to virtual machine103, simply write to the file. Note that you need root privileges inorder to change share allocations:

# echo 2000 > /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares

The change can be confirmed by reading the file again:

% cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares2000

To query the affinity set for virtual machine 103, simply read thefile:

% cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/affinity0,1

This indicates that virtual machine 103 is allowed to run on CPUs 0and 1. To restrict virtual machine 103 to run only on CPU 1, simplywrite to the file. Note that you need root privileges in order tochange affinity sets:

# echo 1 > /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/affinity

The change can be confirmed by reading the file again.

Cautions

CPU share allocations do not necessarily guarantee the rate ofprogress within a virtual machine. For example, suppose virtualmachine 103 is allocated 2,000 shares, while virtual machine 104 isallocated 1,000 shares. If both virtual machines are CPU-bound --for example, both are running the same compute-intensivebenchmark -- then virtual machine 103 should indeed run twice asfast as virtual machine 104. However, if virtual machine 103instead runs an I/O-bound workload that causes it to stop as it waitsfor other resources, it will not run twice as fast as virtual machine103, even though it is allowed to use twice as much CPU time.








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VMware ESX Server


Installation Troubleshooting

When I try to upgrade to the latest version of ESX Server, Iget the error execution of script failed when Irun:rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpm

●

The virtual machine hangs or I get a monitor failure when Iam starting a guest operating system installation.

●

While I am trying to install a Windows 2000 guest operatingsystem, the installation hangs and I see a dialog that tells methe guest operating system has shut down.

●

Installing and Configuring GSX Server Software

When I try to upgrade to the latest version of ESX Server, I getthe error execution of script failed when I run:rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpm

You may be trying to upgrade while running the console operatingsystem. In order to do the upgrade, you need to reboot into Linux.You can do this by typing /sbin/reboot at the super-userprompt, then choosing linux at the LILO boot prompt as themachine comes back up.

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Installing a Guest Operating System

The virtual machine hangs or I get a monitor failure when I amstarting a guest operating system installation.

The virtual machine may be trying to boot from the virtual diskrather than reading from the installation CD. Since the new virtualdisk may have junk data or a partial installation on it, booting fromthe disk may produce unpredictable results. In order to force thevirtual machine to boot from the CD, click inside the remoteconsole window, then press the ESC key while the virtual machineis displaying the BIOS screen. When a boot menu appears, choosethe CD-ROM drive as the boot device.



















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While I am trying to install a Windows 2000 guest operatingsystem, the installation hangs and I see a dialog that tells me theguest operating system has shut down.

This problem has been seen in situations where the virtual machineis configured with two SCSI drives and the user has changed theboot order in the BIOS configuration, moving the CD-ROM fromthird to second in the boot order.

You can work around the problem.

Log into the console operating system -- at the server or witha telnet client -- as a user who has rights to modify the filesin this virtual machine's directory.

1.

Change to the directory where the virtual machine'sconfiguration file is stored.

2.

Remove the file nvram.rm nvram

3.

Start the guest operating system installation again. When theinitial BIOS screen appears, click inside the remote consolewindow, then press the ESC key.

4.

A boot menu appears. Choose the CD-ROM drive.5.

The installation should proceed normally.6.

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VMware ESX Server


Frequently Asked Questions About the Web-Based Installation

The questions are broken down into the different stages of theWeb-based installation process.

PCI Divy: pcidivy-www.pl

What exactly does the pcidivy-www.pl script do?●

How should I allocate my network devices?●

How should I allocate my SCSI/RAID devices?●

What are the rules governing shared SCSI/RAID devices?●

When do I actually need to reboot my machine?●

What do I have to do when I add a new device to my system?●

System Setup: vmware-config-www.pl

What exactly does the vmware-config-www.pl scriptdo?

●

When do I need to run the vmware-config-www.plscript?

●

Edit Partitions/Create VMFS: viewpart-www.pl

What exactly does viewpart-www.pl do?●

How do I use the command line version of fdisk?●

How do I create a VMFS file system without usingviewpart-www.pl?

●

How do I create a vmkdump partition using the commandline version of fdisk?

●

How do I extract a vmkdump core and log file?●

Virtual Machine Wizard: vmcfg-esx

What exactly does vmcfg-esx do?●

Is Red Hat Linux 6.2 the only Linux guest operating systemthat I can install?

●

Can I also install Windows NT as a guest operating system?●

How do I add a virtual machine that I defined manually to the●



















overview page?

PCI Divy: pcidivy-www.pl

What exactly does the pcidivy-www.pl script do?

The purpose of the pages shown by pcidivy-www.pl is to allowyou to choose how you would like to allocate your devices. Youmay allocate devices to either the console operating system or thevirtual machines. For example, if you have two Ethernet cards, youmay give one to the console operating system and one to the virtualmachines. To optimize performance, you should allocate as manydevices as possible to the virtual machines. In the previous case,you could have given both Ethernet cards to the virtual machines,but then you would not be able to access the console operatingsystem remotely.

In some situations, you may want to share your SCSI and RAIDdevices between the virtual machines and the console operatingsystem. SCSI/RAID devices need to be shared if the consoleoperating system and the virtual machines will be using the device.For more information about the conditions in which SCSI/RAIDdevices may be shared, see the section What are the rules governingshared SCSI/RAID devices?

The pcidivy-www.pl program modifies the/etc/lilo.conf file. The /etc/lilo.conf file specifiesthe different boot configurations that are possible with Linux. Theline of interest is the last line in each boot entry that begins with theword append=. On this line will be the word cpci. The numbersand characters following this line specify the PCI devices that are tobe allocated to the console operating system. All PCI devices thatare not allocated to the console operating system are allocated to thevirtual machines. The syntax of the cpci line is not covered in thisFAQ as it is subject to change.

The pcidivy-www.pl program maintains a file/etc/vmware/hwconfig that is essentially a cache of thehardware configuration. This file is rewritten each time a change inthe hardware configuration occurs. It is also read each time theprogram starts and used as an authoritative list of PCI devices onthe system. You should not modify this file.

Another file of interest is the/etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map file. This file mapsPCI devices to their appropriate drivers. This file is consulted by thepcidivy-www.pl program to determine the appropriateVMkernel drivers for the supported PCI devices. You may allocatedevices only if they appear in this file as this file lists the PCIdevices that are supported by the ESX Server.

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How should I allocate my network devices?

We suggest you give as many network adapters to the virtualmachines as possible. Doing so will help ensure that the majority of

your network resources will be devoted to the virtual machines. Asthe console operating system is intended primarily as a managementinterface, you should minimize resources allocated to the consoleoperating system. You will most likely want to allocate at least oneEthernet device to the console operating system so that you canmanage your ESX Server machine remotely.

In the event that you want one or more virtual machines to use anEthernet adapter owned by the console operating system, you canuse bridged networking. With bridged networking, a virtualmachine can access the Ethernet cards owned by the consoleoperating system. However, bridged networking requires that theconsole operating system service requests sent on its Ethernet card,resulting in slower performance. You also may want to avoid usingbridged networking in order to maintain a firewall between yourvirtual machines and the console operating system.

In the likely event that you have fewer Ethernet devices than virtualmachines, you can share VMkernel Ethernet adapters between thevirtual machines with little performance penalty.

See the README file for more information about how you canmanage your network settings.

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How should I allocate my SCSI/RAID devices?

Allocating SCSI/RAID devices is a little bit trickier than allocatingEthernet devices. You do not have as fine grained control over howyou allocate your SCSI/RAID devices. The unit of device allocationis a PCI card device. With SCSI/RAID, you may connect multipleSCSI/RAID disks, CD-ROM drives, tape drives, and other devicesto the SCSI/RAID adapter. Some SCSI/RAID cards will also havemultiple functions, resulting in multiple adapters on each card.When you allocate a SCSI/RAID device to the console operatingsystem or to the VMkernel, you must allocate all the SCSI/RAIDdisks, CD-ROM drives, and other attached devices along with theSCSI/RAID device. As a result, you have only coarse-grainedcontrol over how you allocate SCSI/RAID devices.

When allocating SCSI/RAID devices, the same principle as the oneused for Ethernet devices applies. You should give as manySCSI/RAID devices to the virtual machines as possible to ensurethat the majority of your mass storage resources are used by yourvirtual machines. If you do not have any IDE disks, you may haveto allocate at least one SCSI/RAID device to the console operatingsystem, since the console operating system needs to have a diskfrom which it and the VMkernel can boot.

SCSI/RAID devices can also be shared between the consoleoperating system and the VMkernel. See the section What are therules governing shared SCSI/RAID devices? for more informationabout the circumstances under which shared SCSI/RAID should beused.

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What are the rules governing shared SCSI/RAID devices?

In order for shared SCSI/RAID to work, the console operating

system must be aware of the SCSI/RAID device. To make theconsole operating system aware of the SCSI/RAID device, theappropriate entry must be added to the cpci line of the/etc/lilo.conf file. The Web-based configuration form willautomatically add the appropriate entry if the SCSI/RAID device isallocated as a shared device.

Once the console operating system is aware of the SCSI/RAIDdevice, a driver for the SCSI/RAID device must also be loaded.Linux and the console operating system usually load the driver forthe SCSI/RAID device automatically. In the event that the driver isnot loaded, you can use the insmod command to load theSCSI/RAID driver. See the man pages for insmod for moreinformation about how to load drivers into the console operatingsystem. You can find the appropriate SCSI/RAID drivers in asubdirectory in the /lib/modules directory.

To be precise about how devices can be shared, we define aSCSI/RAID adapter card to be a PCI device that contains one ormore SCSI/RAID adapters. In the case that the SCSI/RAID adaptercard has more than one SCSI/RAID adapter, each SCSI/RAIDadapter is implemented as a separate function on the PCI card. Sucha PCI card is also known as a multifunction device. A SCSI/RAIDadapter is defined to be a single device controller from which disks,CD-ROMs, DATs and other devices can be attached.

It is important to distinguish between a SCSI/RAID adapter cardand a SCSI/RAID adapter since the SCSI/RAID adapter card is aPCI device and therefore the unit of allocation. All SCSI/RAIDadapters on a SCSI/RAID adapter card are thus allocated as a singleunit to the console operating system, virtual machines or both (ifthey are shared).

When a SCSI/RAID adapter card is shared, all the SCSI/RAIDadapters on that card are also shared. One adapter on an adaptercard cannot be given to the virtual machines while the others areshared. Similarly, one adapter cannot be shared while the others aregiven to the console operating system.

Let's take an example. Suppose your machine has SCSI/RAIDadapters scsi0 and scsi1 that are on the same SCSI/RAID adaptercard. If you choose to share one of the adapters, you must shareboth. Similarly, if you choose to allocate one of the adapters to theVMkernel, you must allocate both to the VMkernel.

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When do I actually need to reboot my machine?

You will need to reboot your machine whenever you changeanything in the /etc/lilo.conf file. This includes changes tothe memory allocated to the console operating system and changesto the cpci line controlling which devices are known to theconsole operating system.

If you only change a SCSI/RAID device from being ownedexclusively by the console operating system to being shared, you donot have to reboot the system. A simple restart of VMware ESXServer will do. After all the virtual machines are powered down, runthe commands

/etc/rc.d/init.d/vmware stop/etc/rc.d/init.d/vmware start

to stop and start ESX Server with the new settings.

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What do I have to do when I add a new device to my system?

Whenever a new device is added to the system, the system shoulddetect a change and automatically regenerate the configurationinformation. The /etc/vmware/hwconfig file will berefreshed, but you may have to go back into pcidivy-www.pl toreallocate your devices.

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System Setup: vmware-config-www.pl

What exactly does the vmware-config-www.pl script do?

The vmware-config-www.pl program acts as a Web front endfor the program /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl. Bothprograms perform basic setup tasks that need to be performedbefore VMware ESX Server is started. The scripts must be run afterthe console operating system is booted. The tasks that areperformed by this script include

Stop the VMware ESX Server if it is already running.1.

Show the End User License Agreement/Notice if it has notalready been shown.

2.

Query the user for one of four configuration options.3.

Start VMware ESX Server.4.

Show any other relevant copyright information.5.

We suggest that you use the defaults provided.

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When do I need to run the vmware-config-www.pl script?

The vmware-config-www.pl script needs to be run the firsttime the system is installed. It builds a database of appropriatesettings and creates some important devices on your system. If youwish to change one of the options that you set previously, you cancome back to this page and change your settings.

It also needs to be run if you upgrade your version of VMware ESXServer.

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Edit Partitions/Create VMFS: viewpart-www.pl

What exactly does viewpart-www.pl do?

The viewpart-www.pl script is used to help you set up yourdisks quickly to take advantage of the features offered by the VMFSfile system. The program detects what SCSI/RAID disks andpartitions are available to the virtual machines and presents them to

you. For existing partitions, you can convert the partitions to VMFSfile systems. Be careful not to destroy partitions that may containimportant data.

You can also create and delete partitions. The buttons on this pagewill help you get started quickly. However, if you need finergrained control over how your disks are allocated, you have theoption of running the Web-based fdisk by clicking a button onthis page.

You can also use the command line version of fdisk. See thesection How do I use the command line version of fdisk? formore information about this option.

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How do I use the command line version of fdisk?

To create more than one partition, you will need to use the/sbin/fdisk program that comes standard with virtually allLinux distributions. The fdisk program allows you to createmultiple partitions on a disk. To get access to a disk, run

/sbin/fdisk '/usr/sbin/vmkfstools -Nscsi1:4:0'

The scsi1:4:0 refers to the disk on SCSI/RAID adapter scsi1,target ID 4. The zero at the end refers to the entire disk. If you use anumber other than zero, that refers to a specific partition on thedisk.

Executing /usr/sbin/vmkfstools -N scsi1:4:0 causesthe VMkernel to bind the SCSI/RAID disk to a /dev/vsd deviceon the console operating system. Once it is bound, you can use this/dev/vsd device to access the SCSI/RAID disk from the consoleoperating system even if the disk was allocated to the virtualmachines. The only exception will be if a virtual machine is using apartition on the disk. In that case, the partition will not be accessibleto the console operating system.

In the case of SCSI/RAID disks that are shared between the consoleoperating system and the VMkernel, you cannot use the abovecommand. Instead, you must use fdisk on a /dev/sd device.The reason is that the VMkernel is not allowed to access the entiredisk if it is shared between the console operating system and theVMkernel.

For more information about creating partitions and accessing theVMFS file system, see the README file or the man page onvmkfstools(1).

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How do I create a VMFS file system without usingviewpart-www.pl?

There are at least two things that must be true in order for a VMFSfile system to come into existence on a partition:

The type of the partition must be set to 0xff.●

The VMFS must be formatted.●

To set the type of the partition to 0xff, you should use fdisk.Once you have set the partition type to 0xff, you can use thevmkfstools -C command to format the VMFS. Note thatvmkfstools -C will fail if the type of the partition is not set to0xff. The Web-based script viewpart-www.pl automaticallydoes both steps for you when you create a VMFS partition orconvert a partition to a VMFS file system.

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How do I create a vmkdump partition using the command lineversion of fdisk?

The vmkdump partition has a partition type of 0xfe. Once youcreate this partition, you can use the command

/usr/sbin/vmkdump -p scsi0:0:4

to tell the VMkernel which partition to use. You will need to knowthe SCSI name of the partition from the point of view of theVMkernel. This is not necessarily the same name that Linux sees.

You can use the following command to determine what partitionscan be used as a vmkdump partition.

/usr/sbin/vmkpcidivy --query vmkdump_part

Alternatively, you can just restart the system and let the startupscripts select the vmkdump partition for you.

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How do I extract a vmkdump core and log file?

If you created a vmkdump partition through the Web-basedmanagement interface, the vmkdump core and log file will beautomatically extracted from the partition the next time you start thesystem.

To extract the core and log file by hand, you can use the command

/usr/sbin/vmkdump -d /dev/sda

This will create the core and log file in the current directory. Youcan add a -n option to only extract new core and log files.

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Virtual Machine Wizard: vmcfg-esx

What exactly does vmcfg-esx do?

The program vmcfg-esx creates a virtual machine by creating anew configuration file in a user's home directory. For that reason,you may need to log in before being directed to the wizard page.Once the virtual machine is created, it is registered with the systemand the new virtual machine appears in the overview page of themanagement UI located athttp://<hostname>:8222/overview.

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Is Red Hat Linux 6.2 the only Linux guest operating system I can

install?

No, virtually all distributions of Linux can be used as guestoperating systems. Many of them have been tested succesfully.

Only Red Hat 7.0 is known to have problems working within avirtual machine. Red Hat 6.2 is also known to have a problem dueto a bug in the Linux kernel. See the Release Notes or theREADME file for more information about the known problems.

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Can I also install Windows NT as a guest operating system?

Yes. Although it is not shown as an option, you can install anyvirtual machine you choose. Windows NT has been tested and canbe installed as a guest operating system. The only issue is thatVMware networking has proven difficult to install under WindowsNT. See the Release Notes or the README file for moreinformation.

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How do I add a virtual machine that I defined manually to theoverview page?

The file /etc/vmware/vm-list is the list of the virtualmachines on a machine. You can add virtual machine namesmanually to this file and have them appear on the overview page ofthe Web-based management interface. However, you must set theappropriate file permissions for the virtual machine configurationfile in order to view a virtual machine.

Configuration files created with VMware ESX Server have thefollowing default permissions, based on the user accessing it:

Read, execute and write - for the user who created theconfiguration file (the owner)

●

Read and execute - for the group●

Read - for users other than the owner or a member of theowner's group

●

To add an existing virtual machine to the overview page, you canadd to /etc/vmware/vm-list a line in the format

config"/<path_to_config_file>/<configfile>.cfg"

For example, the following line adds a Windows 2000 virtualmachine to the management interface.

config "/home/vmware/vms/win2000/win2000.cfg"

Note: If you wish, you can provide more intuitive names for eachvirtual machine by adding a displayName line to the virtualmachine's configuration file. Do this only when the virtual machineis powered off.

For example, you could use the following line for a Red Hat Linuxvirtual machine:displayName = "Red Hat Linux 6.1 virtualmachine"

This name appears instead of/<path_to_config_file>/<configfile>.cfg in theVirtual Machine column in the Web-based management interfaceOverview page. If you are creating a new virtual machine from theWeb-based management interface, you can specify the displayname there.

For more information about how to build your own virtual machineconfiguration file, see the README file.

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VMware ESX Server


General Operation Troubleshooting

I can't install the VERITAS Backup Exec Agent for Linux on the ESX Server console operatingsystem.

The VERITAS Backup Exec Agent for Linux will not install on the ESX Server console operatingsystem without modifications.

Note: It should work correctly without modification on guest operating systems.

Use the following workaround to install the backup agent.

Extract all files from the tape archive be_agnt.tar.1.

Edit the BE_IDENT file2.

Include the lines shown below. All lines between the dashed lines are new lines to be included.

if [ "$MACH" != "aix" ]then OSRELEASE=ùname -r` case "$MACH" in i386) OS_VER=ùname -s` if [ "$OS_VER" = "Linux" ] then TARGET=ns_linux---------------------------------------------------------------- temp=ègrep -l "VMware ESX Server" /etc/issue` if [ "$temp" = "/etc/issue" ] then temp2=ègrep -l "1\." /etc/issue` if [ "$temp2" = "/etc/issue" ] then TARGET=linux fi fi---------------------------------------------------------------- temp=ègrep -l "Caldera" /etc/issue` if [ "$temp" = "/etc/issue" ] then temp3=ègrep -l "1\." /etc/issue` temp4=ègrep -l "2\.2" /etc/issue` if [ "$temp3" = "/etc/issue" ]

3.



















then TARGET=linux_old elif [ "$temp4" = "/etc/issue" ] then TARGET=linux_old else TARGET=linux fi fi

Run the INSTALL script.4.

If it still does not install correctly, please report the problem to the VMware support team.

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Disk Troubleshooting

After I allocate all my devices to the virtual machines, myconsole operating system complains about a panic and failsto boot.

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I cannot create CDs in my CD-R drive.●

I cannot eject the CD from my SCSI CD-R drive.●

After I allocate all my devices to the virtual machines, my consoleoperating system complains about a panic and fails to boot.

Most likely, you allocated all your SCSI/RAID disks to the virtualmachines, leaving the console operating system with noSCSI/RAID disks. If the operating system was installed on aSCSI/RAID disk, the console operating system will be unable toboot from the SCSI/RAID disk, since it was not allocated anySCSI/RAID adapters or disks. You will have to get into the systemsomehow to assign the SCSI/RAID adapters in such a way that theconsole operating system will have access to the disk on which itwas installed. Otherwise, you may have to reinstall and try again.

The other possibility if you are booting from a SCSI or RAID diskis that your initrd image file might be corrupted. The initrdfile should be in your /boot directory and you should have a linein your /etc/lilo.conf that looks like the following:

initrd=/boot/initrd-2.2.14-vmnix1.img

This line must be associated with the boot image that you are tryingto use to boot. The initrd file contains a series of device driversthat needed to be loaded so that you can boot. If you do not have



















this file in /boot and an entry in /etc/lilo.conf, yoursystem may not be able to find the device drivers that it needs toboot from your SCSI/RAID disk.

To create your own initrd file, you can use the mkinitrdcommand. For example, if you wanted to create a new initrd filefor the vmnix kernel distributed with ESX Server, you can type

/sbin/mkinitrd -f/boot/initrd-2.2.14-vmnix1.img 2.2.14-vmnix1

Then you should modify your /etc/lilo.conf file so itincludes the required line and rerun lilo to make the changesoccur the next time you boot.

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This error message appears if you have a SCSI/RAID device sharedbetween the console operating system and the virtual machines.Once you have shared a SCSI/RAID device (yet another sharedSCSI/RAID rule), you cannot stop VMware ESX Server unless youreboot. However, the vmware-config-www.pl script requiresthat VMware ESX Server be stopped before it can continue.

This means the only way to change the settings in thevmware-config-www.pl script is to make sure no SCSI/RAIDdevices are shared. The only way to do that is to go back intopcidivy-www.pl, make sure no shared SCSI/RAID devicesexist, then reboot.

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We have observed a problem with the Adaptec AIC-7899 Ultra160/m SCSI host adapter that is built into some Dell server systems,such as the Dell Dimension 420. This is a dual-function card thathas disks on function 0 and other devices such as the tape onfunction 1. There is an external SCSI connector that is alsocontrolled by this card. If there are devices attached to the externalSCSI connector, the card may hang when transferring files betweeninternal SCSI devices and external SCSI devices. We recommendthat you not attach devices to the external SCSI connector.

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If you see an error message during the commit process, you canrerun the commit in either of two ways.

Start the virtual machine again, and when you see the dialogoffering options for the undoable disk, click Commit.

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Use the command-line vmkfstools --commitfileoption, as described in File System Management on SCSIDisks and RAID.

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I cannot create CDs in my CD-R drive.

We have occasionally seen this problem when trying to burn CDs athigher speeds. We are investigating the cause. The workaround is toreduce the drive speed used when you are creating the CD.

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I cannot eject the CD from my SCSI CD-R drive.

We have occasionally seen instances in which a SCSI CD-R drive,while burning CDs, may get into a state where the CD cannot beejected -- either through software controls or by using the button onthe drive. To regain control of the drive, shut down the virtualmachine and restart it.

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VMware ESX Server


Network Troubleshooting

After I allocate some of my Ethernet adapters to the virtualmachines, my console Ethernet adapter fails to come up.What happened?

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I need to use more than 64 virtual network adapters on asingle physical server

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The network adapters on two of my virtual machines havethe same MAC address, causing a conflict

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I need to ensure that a virtual network adapter will alwayshave the same MAC address

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I have a Linux virtual machine set up to use console privatenetworking. When I ping the console operating system fromthe virtual machine, the packet loss rate is very high. Howcan I fix the problem?

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After I allocate some of my Ethernet adapters to the virtualmachines, my console Ethernet adapter fails to come up. Whathappened?

When Ethernet adapters are taken away from the console operatingsystem and given to the virtual machines, the adapters are gone, butoften the network settings were not changed to reflect thedisappearance of the adapters. The way Linux and the consoleoperating system name Ethernet devices is to give them a name ofthe form eth0, eth1, ... , eth<n> where <n> is oneless than the number of Ethernet adapters you have. Each of thesenames is called an Ethernet interface. Each Ethernet interface hasits own IP address, gateway address and other network settings.

When you take away Ethernet devices, it is possible the Ethernetinterface names will change too. For example, suppose you havethree Ethernet devices with corresponding Ethernet interfaceseth0, eth1 and eth2. If you take the device corresponding toeth0 from the console operating system to the virtual machines,then the device that was interface eth1 will become eth0.



















Similarly, the device that was interface eth2 will become eth1.

Linux and the console operating system associate networkinginformation with the Ethernet interfaces, not the Ethernet device.As a result, the networking settings for a particular device mayhave changed. In cases where the Ethernet devices are all of thesame manufacturer and type, no problems will occur. Problems willoccur if the devices are not of the same type or the highernumbered Ethernet interfaces (such as eth2 in our example) werebeing used to access the network. We will describe how to dealwith the two cases.

First, assume the Ethernet devices are of two differentmanufacturers and types. As a result, a different driver will mostlikely be needed by each device. Look in the/etc/conf.modules file to see which driver is being loadedfor each device. You should see lines such as

alias eth0 3c90xalias eth1 e100

The Ethernet interface eth0 is expected to be bound to a 3Com90x Ethernet card and the interface eth1 is expected to be boundto an Intel EEPro card. If the 3Com card was given to the virtualmachines, the Intel card is now eth0. You will have to modify thefile so that eth0 is bound to the e100 driver. The new file shouldsay

alias eth0 e100

This change will ensure that your system will start automaticallywith the new settings the next time your machine boots. To try toload the driver while the system is running, you can use theinsmod(8) command.

Consider a different example. In this case, the higher numberedEthernet interface was being used to access the network. You willhave to migrate the networking configuration for each interface tothe device's new interface name. For example, suppose you haveEthernet interfaces eth0, eth1 and eth2 and wish to allocate thedevice bound to eth0 to the virtual machines. After allocating thedevice, the device previously bound to eth1 will be bound toeth0, and the device that was bound to eth2 will be bound toeth1. If eth2 was being used to access the network, the networksettings need to be changed along with the Ethernet interfaces. Toget the same network configuration, you will want to take thenetwork settings for that had been used for eth2 and apply themto eth1 and, similarly, transfer the settings for eth1 to eth0.

To make the change, you will have to go into the directory/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts. In this directory,there are a series of files beginning with ifcfg-eth. There is oneof these files for each Ethernet interface you have. These filescontain the network settings for a particular Ethernet interface. Tomigrate the network settings, you will have to copy these files andgive them new names corresponding to their new Ethernetinterfaces. In our example, rename ifcfg-eth1 toifcfg-eth0, then rename ifcfg-eth2 to ifcfg-eth1.

Once you make this change, you can restart your networking by

running the command

/etc/rc.d/init.d/network restart

This command will stop your networking and restart it with thenew settings.

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I have a Linux virtual machine set up to use console privatenetworking. When I ping the console operating system from thevirtual machine, the packet loss rate is very high. How can I fixthe problem?

The easiest approach is to change the networking configuration inthe virtual machine. The cause of the problem is the way the pingprogram in Linux behaves when it thinks a name server isavailable. If it does not find the reverse mapping for the target in/etc/hosts, it will attempt to contact the name server. There isno name server on the console operating system, but the Linuxvirtual machine may be configured to expect one there.

There are several possible solutions to this problem.

Add information on the target to /etc/hosts in thevirtual machine.

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Configure the virtual machine so it does not use a nameserver.

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Use ping with the - n option. If you do, ping will not lookup names.

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Set up a name server on the console private network andconfigure the virtual machine to use it.

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VMware ESX Server


Upgrading from Beta 3 to Release Version

If you are upgrading from beta 3 to version 1.0, please jump to thesecond set of instructions. Check the label of your installation CDto see which version you are installing.

Upgrading to Version 1.0.1

The following instructions describe how to upgrade from VMwareESX Server beta 3 to VMware ESX Server 1.0.1. You will not needto reinstall the entire console operating system, and you will be ableto keep virtual machine configurations that you have created.However, you will need to go through some of the Setup WizardWeb pages to configure your server.

Reboot the machine and choose linux at the LILO prompt.1.

Insert the VMware ESX Server CD and run the followingcommands to update the RPMs for VMnix and ESX Serverand to copy the Web-based management interface from theCD.

rpm -e VMwareShaper-*.rpmmount /mnt/cdromrpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMnix-*.rpmrpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpmcd /tmpcp /mnt/cdrom/VMware-mui-*.tar.gz .tar xzf VMware-mui-*.tar.gzumount /mnt/cdrom

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Install the new version of the Web-based managementinterface.

cd /tmp/vmware-mui-distrib./vmware-install.pl

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Go through the server configuration pages again, asdescribed the instructions on using the setup wizard toconfigure your server and virtual machines.

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You may need to restart your Web browser if it waspreviously pointed to the server, since the Web server hasnow changed.

The configuration files for any virtual machines that youhave previously created should still exist in their previouslocations.

Upgrading to Version 1.0

The following instructions describe how to upgrade from VMwareESX Server beta 3 to VMware ESX Server 1.0. You will not needto reinstall the entire console operating system, and you will be ableto keep virtual machine configurations that you have created.However, you will need to go through some of the Setup WizardWeb pages to configure your server.

Reboot the machine and choose linux at the LILO prompt.1.

Insert the VMware ESX Server CD and run the followingcommands to update the RPMs for VMnix and ESX Serverand to copy the Web-based management interface from theCD.

mount /mnt/cdromrpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMnix-*.rpmrpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpmrpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMwareShaper-*.rpmcd /tmpcp /mnt/cdrom/VMware-mui-*.tar.gz .tar xzf VMware-mui-*.tar.gzumount /mnt/cdrom

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Install the new version of the Web-based managementinterface.

cd /tmp/vmware-mui-distrib./vmware-install.pl

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Go through the server configuration pages again, asdescribed the instructions on using the setup wizard toconfigure your server and virtual machines.

You may need to restart your Web browser if it waspreviously pointed to the server, since the Web server hasnow changed.

The configuration files for any virtual machines that youhave previously created should still exist in their previouslocations.

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VMware ESX Server


Creating a Boot Floppy

You can make an ESX Server boot floppy from an image stored onthe ESX Server CD. The boot floppy may be useful if your servercan read the CD but cannot boot from the CD. Follow these stepsto create the floppy disk.

Windows System

Put the ESX Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.1.

Put a floppy disk in the floppy drive.2.

Bring up a DOS command window.3.

Use the rawrite program to copy the disk image to thefloppy disk. If your CD-ROM drive is not d:, substitute thecorrect drive letter.

d:\dosutils\rawrite -f d:\boot.img -d a

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Linux System

Put the ESX Server CD in the CD-ROM drive.1.

As root, mount the CD.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

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Put a floppy disk in the floppy drive.3.

Copy the boot image from the CD to the floppy.

dd if=/mnt/cdrom/boot.img of=/dev/fd0bs=1474560 count=1

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VMware ESX Server 1.0 Linux


Windows 2000 Installation Guidelines and KnownProblems

Windows 2000 Professional or Server (RTM or laterversions) can be installed in a virtual machine using thecorresponding Windows 2000 distribution CD. Beforeinstalling the operating system, be sure that you havealready created a new virtual machine and configured itusing the ESX Server Virtual Machine Wizard.

Note: Some Microsoft Windows 2000 OEM disksincluded with new computers are customized for thosecomputers and include device drivers and other utilitiesspecific to the hardware system. Even if you can installthis Windows 2000 operating system on your actualcomputer, you may not be able to install it in a ESX Servervirtual machine. You may need to purchase a new copy ofWindows to install in a virtual machine.

Windows 2000 Installation Steps

Before starting the installation, use the ESX ServerWeb-based management interface to verify thevirtual machine's devices are set up as you expect.For example, if you would like networking softwareto be installed during the Windows 2000installation, be sure the virtual machine's Ethernetadapter is configured and enabled.

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Insert the Windows 2000 CD in the CD-ROM drive.2.

Power on the virtual machine to start installingWindows 2000.

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If you enabled the virtual machine's Ethernetadapter, a VMware PCI Ethernet Adapter will bedetected and set up automatically.

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VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operatingsystem. After you install VMware Tools, you need tochange your Windows 2000 screen area to be greater than640x480 pixels; otherwise, Windows 2000 uses the



















standard VGA driver, and your performance will suffer.

Mouse Performance

If the movement of the mouse in your Windows 2000guest operating system appears jerky or unnatural, youshould turn off the mouse pointer shadow. Choose Start >Settings > Control Panel > Mouse. The Mouse Propertiesdialog appears. Click the Pointers tab. Clear the Enablepointer shadow check box and click OK. Your mouseshould move more normally in your virtual machine now.








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Windows NT Installation Guidelines and KnownProblems

Windows NT 4.0 can be installed in a virtual machineusing the standard Windows NT CD. Before installing theoperating system, please be sure that you have alreadycreated a new virtual machine and configured it using theESX Server Virtual Machine Wizard.

Windows NT Installation Steps

Use the ESX Server Web-based managementinterface to verify the virtual machine's devices areset up as you expect before starting the installation.For example, if you would like networking softwareto be installed during the Windows NT installation,be sure the virtual machine's Ethernet adapter isconfigured and enabled. VMware also recommendsthat you disable the screen saver on the host systembefore starting the installation process.

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Insert the Windows NT CD in the CD-ROM drive.2.

Power on the virtual machine to start installingWindows NT.

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If you have enabled the virtual machine's EthernetAdapter, a VMware PCI Ethernet Adapter will bedetected and set up automatically. The defaultsettings should work fine and do not need to bechanged.

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Finish the Windows NT installation.5.

VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operatingsystem.


























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VMware ESX Server 1.0.1


Red Hat Linux Installation Guidelines and KnownProblems

Please choose the appropriate link below for informationon:

Red Hat Linux 7.1●




























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VMware ESX Server


Red Hat Linux 7.1 Installation Guidelines and Known Problems

The easiest method of installing Red Hat Linux 7.1 in a virtual machine is to use the standard Red Hatdistribution CD. The notes below describe an installation using the standard distribution CD; however,installing Red Hat Linux 7.1 via the boot floppy/network method is supported as well. Before installingthe operating system, be sure that you have already created a new virtual machine and configured it usingthe ESX Server Virtual Machine Wizard.

You will install Red Hat 7.1 using the text mode installer, which you may choose when you first boot theinstaller. At the Red Hat 7.1 CD boot prompt, you are offered the following choices:

To install or upgrade a system ... in graphical mode ... To install or upgrade a system ... in text mode, type: text <ENTER>. To enable expert mode, ... Use the function keys listed below ...

To choose the text mode installer, type text followed by <ENTER>. If you simply press the <ENTER>key, the installer will perform a check, then switch to the text mode installer.

Note: You should not run the X server that is installed when you set up Red Hat 7.1. Instead, to get anaccelerated SVGA X server running inside the virtual machine, you should install the VMware Toolspackage immediately after installing Red Hat 7.1.

Red Hat Linux 7.1 Installation Steps

Use the ESX Server Web-based management interface to verify the virtual machine's devices areset up as you expect before starting the installation. For example, if you would like networkingsoftware to be installed during the Red Hat Linux 7.1 install process, be sure the virtual machine'sEthernet adapter is enabled and configured.

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Insert the Red Hat Linux 7.1 CD in the CD-ROM drive and click the Power On button. The virtualmachine should start booting from the CD and the install process will begin.

You may see a warning message that says: "Bad partition table. The partition table on device hda iscorrupted." This does not mean that anything is wrong with the hard drive on your physicalcomputer. It simply means that the virtual hard drive in your virtual machine needs to be partitionedand formatted. Select the Initialize button and press <ENTER>.

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Follow the installation steps as you would for a real host machine. Be sure to make the choicesoutlined in the following steps.

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In Video Card Selection choose Generic VGA compatible, then click OK.4.

Near the end of the installation, after files have been copied, you reach the Monitor Setup screen.Choose Generic Standard VGA, 640x480 @ 60 Hz, then click OK.

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At the Video Memory screen, choose 256Kb, then click OK.6.

At the Clockchip Configuration screen, choose No Clockchip Setting (recommended), which is thedefault, then click OK.

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At the Probe for Clocks screen, click Skip.8.

At the Select Video Modes screen, don't choose anything. Just click OK.9.

At the Starting X screen, click Skip.10.

This completes basic installation of the Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest operating system. Be sure to installVMware Tools in your virtual machine.

Note: With a Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest, you should install VMware Tools from the Linux console.Do not start X until you have installed VMware Tools. Be sure to use the updated VMware Toolsinstaller that you can download from the installation instructions page.

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Note: Due to VGA performance issues installing Red Hat 7.0 with the graphics mode installer, we highlyrecommend you install the operating system with the text mode installer. At the Red Hat 7.0 CD bootprompt, you are offered the following choices:


Choose the text mode installer by typing text followed by <ENTER>.

Note: During the Red Hat Linux 7.0 text mode installation, a standard XFree86 version 4 server (withoutsupport for VMware SVGA or standard VGA) will be installed. Do not run that X server. Instead, to getan accelerated SVGA X server running inside the virtual machine, you should install the VMware Toolspackage immediately after installing Red Hat Linux 7.0.



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Follow the installation steps as you would for a real PC. Be sure to make the choices outlined in thefollowing steps.

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In Video Card Selection choose Generic VGA compatible, then click OK.4.

Near the end of the installation, after files have been copied, you reach the Monitor Setup screen.Choose Generic Standard VGA, 640x480 @ 60 Hz, then click OK.

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At the Video Memory screen, choose 256Kb, then click OK.6.

At the Clockchip Configuration screen, choose No Clockchip Setting (recommended), which is thedefault, then click OK.

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At the Probe for Clocks screen, click Skip.8.

At the Select Video Modes screen, don't choose anything. Just click OK.9.



















At the Starting X screen, click Skip.

Note: This is the most important step. Clicking OK will run the XFree86 version 4 server, whichwill fail, and the installer will abort.

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This completes basic installation of the Red Hat Linux 7.0 guest operating system.

Note: We have occasionally observed an error message at the end of the Red Hat 7.0 installationprocess -- one that sounds serious but does not, in fact, indicate a problem.

After your Red Hat 7.0 installation is completed and you click OK in the final dialog to reboot themachine, you might see this message:Install exited abnormally -- recived signal 11as the machine is being shut down. However, the Red Hat 7.0 installation has completedsuccessfully, and the operating system will boot with no problems when you restart the virtualmachine.

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VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operating system.

Note: With a Red Hat Linux 7.0 guest, you should install VMware Tools from the Linux console. Do notstart X until you have installed VMware Tools.

Installing a 16-color X Server

If you want to run the standard 16-color VGA X server, skip the installation of VMware Tools and insteadtake the following steps.

Note: If you use the standard 16-color VGA X server, you will not have the performance advantages ofthe accelerated SVGA X server included in VMware Tools.

After you finish the basic installation of the Red Hat Linux 7.0 guest operating system and thevirtual machine reboots, log in as root.

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Set up the X server:

ln -sf ../../usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_VGA16 /etc/X11/X

This sets the current X server to XF86_VGA16 (the XFree86 3.3.6 16-color VGA X server).

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Note: Due to VGA performance issues installing Red Hat 6.2 with the graphics mode installer, we highlyrecommend you install the operating system with the text mode installer. At the Red Hat 6.2 CD bootprompt, you are offered the following choices:


Choose the text mode installer by typing text followed by <ENTER>.

Note: during the Red Hat Linux 6.2 installation, a standard VGA16 X server (without support for theVMware ESX Server X server) will be installed. To get an accelerated SVGA X server running inside thevirtual machine, you should install the VMware Tools package immediately after installing Red HatLinux 6.2.



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Follow the installation steps as you would for a real PC.

Note: if the virtual machine's Ethernet adapter has been enabled, the installation program willauto-detect and load the AMD PC/Net 32 driver (no command line parameter will be necessary toload the driver).

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During the Linux installation, select the standard VGA16 X server. Select the "Generic VGAcompatible/Generic VGA" card from the list in the Choose a Card screen. Select the GenericMonitor entry from the list in the Monitor Setup screen. Select the Probe button from the ScreenConfiguration dialog and select OK from the Starting X dialog. When Linux is installed, thegeneric X server will be replaced with the accelerated X server included in the VMware Toolspackage.

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Finish installing Red Hat Linux 6.2 as you would on a real PC.5.



















At this point Red Hat 6.2 will boot and present a login screen. Follow the steps below to installVMware Tools inside the virtual machine.

VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operating system.








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VMware ESX Server


Reporting Problems

If you have problems while running VMware ESX Server, pleasereport them to the VMware support team. Problems may occureither in the VMkernel or in the virtual machines that it hosts. Aproblem in the VMkernel will typically freeze the physicalmachine, while a problem in a virtual machine will generate a corefile.

These guidelines describe the information we need from you todiagnose various types of problems.

If a virtual machine exits abnormally or crashes, please savethe log file (vmware.log in the same directory as your.cfg file) and any core files (core or vmware-core).Provide these to VMware along with the virtual machine'sconfiguration (.cfg) file and any other information thatmight help us to reproduce the problem. In addition, includethe contents of /var/log/messages from the consoleoperating system, since the VMkernel logs informationaland error messages in /var/log messages. Be sure toinclude a description of your physical hardware and of thesoftware (operating system and applications) that wasrunning in the virtual machine. Include this information inyour report to the VMware support team.

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Any problem in the VMkernel (for example, an ASSERTfailure) causes the VMkernel to display an error screen for aperiod of time and then reboot the machine. In this case,provide VMware with the steps you took to cause thisfailure (including any information listed in point 1 above, ifapplicable). Include this information in your report to theVMware support team, along with the contents of/var/log/messages from the console operatingsystem.

If you specified a VMkernel dump partition when youconfigured your machine, the VMkernel will generate a coredump upon a panic or an exception. This will create filesnamed vmkernel-core.<date> andvmkernel-log.<date> in the /root directory.

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Include this information in your report to the VMwaresupport team.

Documents

VMware ESX Server - Documentation · management, VMware ESX Server provides its own drivers for supported devices. Be sure that the devices you plan to use in your server are supported